§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made to assess the economic viability of options for the proposed bypass at Inverary; when he expects to conclude consultations; when he expects to produce draft road orders; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonConsultations with the principal landowner are currently being pursued. Subject to a satisfactory road alignment being agreed, it is the intention to ask the district council to safeguard this line. The scheme cannot command priority at present in the trunk road programme given the high returns available from competing projects of national importance. Further design work including detailed economic assessments will proceed only when there is a reasonable prospect of early funding being available. Present indications are that this is unlikely to be the case within the next five years.