§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects consideration of the objections lodged against the draft road orders for the Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston bypass to have been completed; and when he expects that these proposals will be included in the Scottish Office's trunk road programme. [11329]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Consideration of objections lodged against the draft road orders is expected to be completed within the next three months. During that time objectors will be contacted by officials from the Scottish Office to determine what can be done to alleviate their concerns. The timing of construction will depend on the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures and the relative priority of the scheme against competing demands for available resources when decisions on future starts are made.