 Can I ask members who are leaving the chamber to do so as quickly and as quietly as possible? The final item of business is a members business debate on Motion 989, in the name of Donald Cameron, on the A83 rest and be thankful. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Would those members who wish to contribute, please press their requests to speak buttons now, our place, an R in the chat function. ond Don Cameron to open the debate for around seven minutes. I begin by thanking members from across the Parliament who have supported my motion today and those who are speaking this evening. I would like to particularly welcome the cross-party effort that has been on this important issue from MSPs past and present, including my old adversary Mike Russell, who I know was keen to see a permanent solution for the rest and be thankful past. Can I pay tribute to the rest and be thankful campaign group, which is chaired by John Gern and has the support of over 1500 businesses from across Argyll and Bute? Can I also acknowledge the minister's efforts? Unlike others in government, Graham Day has actually visited the past, met with the campaign group and done much more than any of his predecessors in relation to this crisis. Crisis, that often overused word, is precisely how to describe what is happening at the rest and be thankful. The group that I have just mentioned was established as a direct result of the fact that this issue has been on the agenda for many, many years, and yet it remains unresolved and with no clear end in sight. MSPs will sympathise with that. I imagine that many of us here have received countless emails from exasperated constituents and businesses who are fed up with having to put up with a substandard road that is regularly closed, but it is not just a road. It is the key arterial route in and out of Argyll, relied upon by residents and businesses from towns such as Cabletown, Gilpedd and Dynun, and of course many in our island communities such as Isla, Jura and Gheir, who commute to the central belt by ferry and road. When people talk about lifeline routes, this really is a lifeline. There is one figure that I would like to remind everyone of—100,000 tonnes. 100,000 tonnes is the amount of debris that sits above that road. That is 100,000 tonnes of debris sitting above vehicles, carrying our schoolchildren, carrying our elderly to hospital, carrying people from our communities in and out of Argyll every day, every week, every year. This is very real and very threatening for a vast number of people. It is a road that many rightly believe has been neglected over many years and that the short-term fixes that have been applied to attempt to make it safe and reliable simply have not worked. The Herald recently reported that £8.5 million has been spent on mitigation measures over the past five years, including on things like catch pits and barriers. There is a broad acknowledgement in all quarters that in the event of some of the worst landslips that we have seen, even those mitigation measures simply will not prevent the road from closing. That brings into question whether those mitigation measures have been worth it. If landslides are going to overwhelm the catch pits and close the road when it rains, have they been worth it? That is why it is clear that we need a long-term solution sooner rather than later. Otherwise, Argyll is getting a second best solution, with only mitigation measures and long-term skills. I welcome the action that was taken by Transport Scotland in October 2020 to consult on a new route. The route option that was chosen was broadly welcomed by all stakeholders, but many stakeholders that I have spoken to since then, including the rest and thankful campaign group, are deeply concerned by comments from Transport Scotland that it could take up to 10 years to deliver. Residents cannot wait 10 years for a safe and reliable route. Residents and businesses cannot wait for 10 years. As others have noted, many key sectors across Argyll and Bute will struggle if they are forced to make longer detours to get their products to the marketplace. As a result of the road, the rest will be thankful and the old military road, the usual diversion, will be enclosed. For example, dairy farms in Kintyre, who transport tankers of milk for processing, work on low margins, are massively affected by the excessive detour as a result of the rest being closed. It obviously hikes up their costs, and there is huge and increasing frustration in relation to agricultural businesses in general. One Danone-based manufacturer of kit-built houses said that they took the unfortunate decision to manufacture our timber kits outwith Danone due to the road connection being unreliable. The fact is that some businesses are deterred from investing in Argyll. One issue that the Government might explore is whether there is a recognition of the cost and impact of two people and business. Can it be quantified? Colin Craig, the managing director of West Coast Motors, said that his business calculated that diversion far down malian cranialaric would add 170,000 miles per annum and use 53,000 extra litres of fuel and add over 140,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions. There is an environmental issue here that delays are causing. It is clear that action is needed from Transport Scotland to reduce the timescale of delivery for this project. That is why local campaigners are asking for the Government to commit to a new route by the end of this Parliament. However, even if it was to be met by that date, there is wide recognition that additional short-term measures are needed to alleviate reliance on the past. Many people have long called for the local forestry road at Glen Crow to be upgraded so that it could be used as a relief road in the event that the rest of the old military road are closed. Again, an interim solution is needed this winter. One year is bad enough, not to mention four years. The recipe for the campaign group stated that a 2012 trans-serve report suggested that an upgrade of that road, the forestry road, could be done in 10 to 12 weeks. I am aware that Transport Scotland officials are still reviewing the route over a year since it was originally mooted at a task force meeting. I appreciate that there are statutory duties to follow and that can take time, but it is clear to me that this is an emergency. As winter approaches and the risk of landslips heighten, something has to be done sooner rather than later. It must be treated as an emergency. Can I turn to the work of the task force? I have been very grateful for the vital updates on the situation given by officials, but it is clear to me that there is a divide between those officials and stakeholders on the ground. There is a strong argument that someone who is independent of Government should be appointed to chair future meetings of the task force, so that the agenda is set by local stakeholders rather than by Transport Scotland. I hope that the minister will consider that. To conclude, Presiding Officer, since my election in 2016, this has been one of the most significant local issues that I have dealt with. I have raised it in Parliament on countless occasions, as have others. I have raised it with three different transport ministers. I have raised it with the First Minister. In all that time, little progress has been made, and residents and communities continue to suffer. Yes, we must ensure that a future route is robust and reliable. That will take time, but we must also be mindful that, for each year that goes by and each year that this has not resolved, pain will be felt in the communities that are most affected. Let this be the session of Parliament where we resolve the crisis and the rest and be thankful once and for all. For almost 100 miles, the A83 traverses Argyll and Bute from Tarbot, on Loch Lomond, it snakes its way through mid Argyll and south into Cintard, Campbelltown. It links towns, villages and islands. It links people across Argyll and Bute with neighbours, businesses and the lifeline services that we all depend on. The road is also, as Donald has said, Argyll and Bute's main link to central Scotland, but there is one section of the road that is infamous for land slips, closures and long diversions. The rest and be thankful. I know the road well. It is my route home, so this is personal. I have seen the mitigation work progress over the last 16 years, the catch pits, the wire slip capture nets, the resurfacing of the old military road, the building of the boond and now the commencement of a woodland aiming to stabilise the slope, but we do need a long-term solution. Donald Cameron has clearly set out the history and impact of the closures and detours on Argyll and Bute businesses, and I am going to concentrate on the social and societal impacts. One of my constituents living in Tarbot has regular appointments in Glasgow. When the rest is open is a straightforward drive, two and a half hours each way, but if the rest is closed then it is a journey of two and a half times as long, a mixture of driving and catching ferries. This is not ideal when you are healthy but it is so much worse when you are ill. My constituent and their care partner are so concerned about the impact on their health of the anxiety that comes with any hospital appointment that they are questioning whether they should attend. That should not be happening. At the Kirking of Parliament on Friday evening, the moderator of the Church of Scotland reminded us, as elected representatives, of the importance of walking in our constituent's shoes. I believe that this is a situation where we must do just that. Before every journey, my constituents are checking the road reports and weather forecasts just in case the rest may close. Working out the best way to travel, deciding whether they need to travel the day earlier and the added expense of that, both monetary and time-wise. Three weekends ago, for example, there was the perfect storm, an accident closed the A82 north of Tindrim, with traffic diverted via Connell, a single-track bridge, resulting in horrendous tailbacks and then an accident in Tainult. On top of that, the Kamenach Cup final was being played in Obann, so accidents and increased traffic volume on a fragile road resulted in gridlock. Everyone in Argyll and Bute recognises that the solution to the rest and be thankful landslides must be done safely, but they ask that this situation be treated as an emergency. We already have strategic timber routes. I would suggest that this is a strategic lifeline route. I ask the transport minister to ensure that my constituents' voices, both communities and businesses, are listened to at the A83 task force meetings. The task force is there for everyone. I also ask, too, that he looks into the possibility of appointing an independent chair for those meetings, and finally that the dialogue between Transport Scotland and Argyll and Bute is on a more regular basis. The positive news this week of the addition of the MV Utne to Calmax Service shows, I believe, the positive changes that the transport minister is making. I hope that he continues in this vein with regards to the rest and be thankful. To finish, the people of Argyll and Bute are resilient. As one of them said to me, they do not go bothering people until it gets really bad, while it has got really bad. The health and welfare of my constituents and their businesses are at risk. For too long, they have been victims of the geology of Glen Crow and now look to the Scottish Government to solve the A83 problem once and for all. Presiding Officer, can I also congratulate Donald Cameron on securing this debate and join him in paying tribute to the campaign group? The rest and be thankful is a crucial link for our constituents and Argyll and Bute in the disruption that closure bring impacts on the economy, but also on the health of people, as we have just heard, and those who depend on it for their social links, as well as their livelihoods. I believe that the whole Parliament takes the issue of depopulation very seriously. It is an issue that the Scottish Government tells us that is on the radar, but the failure to deal with the rest and be thankful does not reassure me on that. I understand that the area could not compete for an investment of over £700 million by Scottish salmon, which would have created local jobs because of the route on which the investment has gone to a place where transport links are much more secure. A manufacturer of kit houses is moving out of the new due to the road connection being unreliable. The road haulage sector tells us that the disruption is costing them around £2.3 million a year. Donald Cameron mentioned other examples of that as well. The area contributes 15 per cent of Scotland's whisky and 26 per cent of its forestry, among other things. Those industries are hampered by the road, and despite millions of pounds already being spent on the road, it is no safer. What is terrifying is the amount of earth that is unstable and is in danger of falling. We have already lost one life to the road and should that 100,000 tonnes of earth fall on the road this winter, it could have catastrophic consequences. It is also unacceptable that the road closes with the threat of bad weather. The traffic is re-routed to the old military road, which is not satisfactory. Until the Scottish Government fixes this route, we need a real-time warning system. When bad weather is forecast, a number light shows and indicates that the road is liable to close, but when it is closed, there should be a red light system. Similar to that that is used by air ferry services. A text alert system could also work, telling regular travellers what is happening in real-time on the road. Presiding Officer, we need a safer and more sustainable short-term alternative, because I really fear for this winter. After that, we need a long-term solution that serves the whole of Ergyll and Butte, but we need urgently too much time that has already elapsed. We cannot wait for the next election to get new promises. We need that action now. Transport Scotland tells us that it will take a year for them to look at every temporary solution that is proposed. They should open the forestry road and take transport in the opposite direction of the old military road in the short term. They can do that now. It would still cause a delay, but it will be much faster than the current solution. Surely it is not too much to ask for a road that is open when it rains that people can depend on, and they do not have to fear travelling. I am sorry to say that this is a catastrophe waiting to happen if no action is taken. Scottish Government know it and they need to act now. I thank Donald Cameron for bringing this debate to Parliament today. It would be nice if we had something to be thankful for, because if that was the case, we would not need to be here. The problems on the A83 are long-standing. Too many parts of Scotland, those on the edges, generally get left behind when it comes to road investment. In this case, it is not lack of money. Goodness knows enough that it has been spent £8.5 million in the last five years on mitigation measures. No, I mean money spent on a permanent solution, one that will mean no more road closures. Our guy will not be cut off unless you take an enormous detour. Business is not suffering. People are not being able to get about, get to work, trade, be normal. As Donald Cameron said, 1500 businesses support the Rest and Be Thankful campaign. Just a quick look at their campaign website shows you the level of frustration. They have got some stats of their own. 200 days, the length of time the A83 was disrupted in 2020, 10 years, the time they waited for 11 new proposals, only one of which is feasible. 10 years, the Government's current timeframe for delivering a permanent solution. 100,000 tonnes, the amount of debris that could fall on the road. £1 million, the money spent on the barrier wall on the old military road in 2020. Deputy Presiding Officer, we are not talking about some remote road that a few tourists use to get to the hills, though that is important too. That is a key artery. The road is as important to the people of Argyll as the A77 is to people in Ayrshire or the A1 to those in the Borders. There is a lack of investment on those roads, too, but generally communities along them do not get cut off. Too often projects in this country get bogged down in process. The Cabinet Secretary or Minister of the Day will talk about that. They will talk about how they need to follow the process, how proper studies need to be done, how there is a need for reviews and consultation. It is all shorthand for delay, not actually doing anything. Donald Cameron spoke of the growing divide between transport Scotland officials and stakeholders on the ground. That is all too typical of a we know best attitude that permeates some parts of the public sector, and it is not good enough. Mr Cameron has spoken to three different transport ministers in his time. He has been an MSP for as long as me, and that is just over five years. Nothing has happened in that period. The current transport minister, whom Mr Cameron praised, should get to chairing the meetings of the A83 task force or get someone independent to do it and commit to winding it up because a new road has been built. That needs to happen now, not in 10 years' time. The A83 campaign has written to various ministers and officials. In an act of sheer desperation that they wrote last week to the coalition of chaos' very own ministerial double act, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, Chairman Roy Goh wrote, we estimate the impact to the environment on idling traffic, waiting at lights or for a convoy, all with the increased impact of 30 to 60 mile diversions for a two mile road closure to be an extra 3,300 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. That is bad for the environment. You think that that would interest the Greens. The Government must act now, not in 10 years' time. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Firstly, we would like to congratulate Donald Cameron for securing debating time on this important matter. The disruption caused by the repeated closure of the A83 regression be thankful as not only impacted the people, communities and businesses of Argyll, but also the knock-on effect to my own Arran constituents. When the regression be thankful is closed, it prevents elders and those visitors who wish to travel to Argyll via Arran and vice versa from travelling through a vital main road unless they take a wide detour. Unallible diversions such as the single track old military road that can also face closure due to a lack of staffing or weather conditions increases the reluctance to visit the Contard peninsula causing the island to miss out on tourists that would visit Arran via Cluneg. Ironically, many only choose this route if the project to address on ferry is not sailing as not infrequently is the case. Tourism is the backbone of Arran's economy, generating £61 million in 2018. Unallible alternative routes often prevent residents from leaving the island or delay their return home from essential visits to the mainland due to traffic queues and increased pressure on the Kalmarclachranza to Cluneg ferry route. Elders repeatedly make it clear that their biggest concern is the reliability of ferry services, worsened by Covid outbreaks on vessels, meaning that the Kalmarclachranza route is more vital to expediting the implementation of a solution to the landslides in support of local communities in Argyll and by extension those on Arran. The island has faced numerous setbacks due to Covid and Brexit, and the angst among Arran and Argyll business owners must be recognised and acted upon to prevent further detriment. Every time the 803 pass is closed due to delays in implementing a permanent solution to the landslides plaguing the route, it is a further setback to local businesses as the work to kickstart their Argyll and Arran economies post lockdown. Additional transport costs and the environmental impact must also be considered. Between 2018 and 2020, 674 of the 730 days saw the 803 pass being used as a single-track road with traffic lights, highlighting catastrophic impact of the landslides on the accessibility to much of Arran and Argyll. A permanent solution to the issue will boost local confidence and much-needed growth in local economies, instead of pouring more money into ineffective temporary measures. A fast, long-term and robust solution is what the rest of the thankful campaign group is working for, and it is yet to be delivered. Despite eight permanent solutions being identified in 2012, Transport Scotland implemented ineffective temporary measures, costing, as Donald Cameron pointed out, £8.5 million to date. Despite that, we see an ever-increasing number of road closures. Those short-term mitigations have failed to ensure continuous full access through the 803. In 2020, Transport Scotland identified a further 11 proposals, with even a tunnel being considered, although I understand from my colleague Jenny Minto that soil and underlying conditions make that a very unlikely prospect, but at least local communities were relieved that those were being considered. However, that relief led to some disappointment when the announcement that it may take a further 10 years to implement was also announced. That must change if the 803 rest of the thankful route is no longer to have a detrimental effect on my constituents and much of Argyll, not least the entire peninsula of the communities and businesses within. I know that the minister will grab that opportunity and the bill will buy the horns to work to deliver a swift solution to this seemingly perennial problem. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank Donald Cameron for securing this debate and all the work carried out by colleagues in raising the issue of the rest and be thankful on behalf of people living and working in Argyll and Bute. Deputy Presiding Officer, as an MSP for a region that covers large areas of rural and island Scotland, I have become very familiar with the term lifeline, lifeline services, lifeline ferries, lifeline roads. The rest and be thankful is a lifeline road. The residents and businesses that depend on the lifeline road require a solution now, and having met a number of them, I have been made aware of the level of their frustration and concern. I appreciate that the Scottish Government is working on both a temporary and a long-term solution, but the timescales on those solutions are too long—10 years is too long. Our communities do not have time to wait. The situation needs to be tackled with a greater sense of urgency. The Scottish Government has committed to maintaining populations and re-peopelling rural and island Scotland, but the length of time it is taking to get a sustainable solution for this part of the A83 is too long. Businesses are relocating, as we heard from colleagues this evening, and people who live there are faced with being cut off from public services, including vital access to medical care in Glasgow. In 2004, Transport Scotland undertook the Scottish Road Network landslide study, which identified that the A83 is one of the top landslide hazards in Scotland. That recognition was 17 years ago. Now, with the acceleration of the climate crisis, we face greater climate breakdown, which is bringing more and frequent landslips. On 1 September 2021, the transfer minister told the chamber that the Government has invested £87 million in the maintenance of the A86 since 2007, including more than £15 million in landslide mitigation works to provide additional resilience at the rest and be thankful. If the Scottish Government is to take an infrastructure first approach in its response to the climate emergency, can I suggest that we truly recognise that we are in a climate emergency and we must look to reduce the levels of carbon emissions contributed by our transport? Let's widen our approach. I would ask that the minister consider making a tunnel, because tunnels are in the solutions offered, but instead of a road or along with a road include a rail line fit for passengers and freight. In the meantime, we should move rapidly on with the short-term solutions and, if possible, to take the approach proposed by the rest and be thankful campaign group to upgrade the forestry road for immediate use. What is happening at the rest and be thankful is an indicator of what is to come, as our changing climate and devastated biodiversity creates more and more infrastructure problems. The incident illustrates the need for landowners and managers to do more to mitigate against the inevitable impact of climate breakdown on our infrastructure. Whether that be through reforestation or irrigation measures, we need mechanisms in place that support landowners to manage their land for the public good in situations where their choices impact our national transport and other infrastructure. Presiding Officer, over the lifetime of this Parliament we have seen so many announcements regarding roads. We have seen major road building projects and decisions that have benefited motorists. As we look to the future, we need to stop investing in projects that damage our environment and instead prioritise public transport and lifeline roads like the rest and be thankful that put our constituents, our communities and our climate first. Thank you, Ms Burgess. I now call on Jackie Baillie, who is the final speaker in the open debate. Four minutes, please, Ms Baillie. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Can I start by congratulating Donald Cameron on securing this debate and for the content of his speech? It might surprise members to know that the A83 is actually in my constituency, but it is very much just on the edge of it. It is its impact on the residents of Agile that is most significant. Presiding Officer, I can always tell when it is raining in Agile, even from here some 90 miles away, or even if there is a prospect of rain, because an email pops into my inbox from Bear Scotland to tell me that the A83 will be under convoy or closed. I could paper my walls with their emails. In fact, I could paper the walls in the entire Parliament and up the Royal Mile as well, as they arrive on an almost daily basis and have done so for many a year. That is, of course, Scotland. Rain is unfortunately our default weather status, so it is hardly surprising. However, the consequences for Agile are serious and they cannot afford to be cut off by the closure of the A83. Let me thank all those people involved—the designers, the engineers, the road experts, all of them—for their valiant efforts in trying to contain the landslides at the rest and be thankful. Their efforts could be described as heroic, but they are battling mother nature and she will ultimately win no matter how ingenious we are. Can I also agree with Donald Cameron and praise the rest and be thankful campaign group, so ably led by John Gerr? They have represented local views and interests very well, but they are understandably very frustrated. I do not want to dwell on whether the catchpits work or the old military road is sustainable. They have served a purpose, but the fear is that we will end up with both the A83 and the old military road closed simultaneously and then our guile is effectively cut off. Let me remind members that from 4 August to 31 March 2020 to 31 March 2021, a mere eight months, the A83 has been fully closed for 35 days, it has been under convoy using the old military road for 148 days and it has been under traffic lights for 56 days. Basically, the A83 has not been fully open, operating normally since 4 August 2020. For those who do not know the area, the A83 is a lifeline route for our guile. It carries at least 1.4 million vehicles a year. It is essential for farming, getting livestock to markets. It is essential for timber, with 26 per cent of timber production coming from our guile. It is essential for whisky, transporting the amber nectar from more than 20 distilleries to Scotland and abroad. It is essential for tourism, one of the main imports to the area and, no wonder, given the area's great natural beauty. Last but not least, it is important to the people who travel for work or who need to attend hospital. Whatever the reason, closing the road is bad for business, is bad for tourism and it could lead to further population decline. That has a direct and detrimental impact on the local economy, running to millions of pounds in lost income and, indeed, in lost jobs. I know that the minister and his officials are doing their very best, but there is a real urgency to that now. The demands of the Rest and Be Thankful campaign group are very clear and have to say very reasonable. They need a permanent solution and they need it fast. A preferred route has been identified, that route is through Glencru. The dismay is that it will take well beyond the lifetime of this current Parliament to deliver, some even suggesting that it could be 10 years away. So a temporary additional route has been suggested, which is to use the forestry route. That was previously rejected by Transport Scotland because Forestry Scotland were apparently not keen. I am really sorry, but I do not think that Forestry Scotland's lack of enthusiasm should be a barrier to doing what is right for the people of Argyll. I am running out of time, so too is a replacement road for the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful. We need action from the Government and all parties across the chamber will support them in that endeavour, but they need to move faster. Climate change is not going to wait for 10 years. We managed to put a man on the moon in 1969. That was 52 years ago. This is a road. This should not be beyond us. Let's stop the delay. Let's get this done. The communities of Argyll deserve nothing less. Thank you, Ms Bailey. I now call on Graham Day to respond to the debate. Can we begin by saying that I welcome Donald Cameron's secureness debate for the opportunity that it provides me to offer any reassurance needed that the Scottish Government is entirely committed to helping to keep Argyll and Bute open for business by delivering short and longer-term permanent solutions to the issues at the Rest and Be Thankful? I also thank members for a largely thoughtful and measured series of contributions. I am acutely aware of the importance of the A83 trunk road to the communities and the economy of the Argyll and Bute area. The fact that it was my very first ministerial visit at the beginning of June this year was to the Rest and Be Thankful should be seen as evidence of that. The fact that the Scottish Government is intent on identifying and delivering a safe and robust solution as soon as possible with equal emphasis between safe, robust and as soon as possible. As we have heard, the Government since 2007 has invested £87 million in the maintenance of the A83 trunk road. That includes £15 million at the Rest and Be Thankful on landslide mitigation measures and improvements to the local old military road diversion. As Mr Cameron and other members are aware, Transport Scotland has been progressing a number of projects throughout 2021, including further roadside catch pit works, drainage improvements, debris fences, along with the vital maintenance and safety schemes, along with the A83. Those on-going works are helping to make the A83 and the old military road diversion more resilient to the effects of extreme weather landslides. I do not think that anyone is seriously suggesting that we should not have carried out that work, because that work is designed to bias the time to deliver the medium and long-term solutions that we need. The work is extremely important. I absolutely agree with Jackie Baillie's assessment about the challenge that Mother Nature poses here. It is quite scary when you go there and you see what has developed on the site and the necessity of the work that is being done by the engineers. The key point here is that, parallel to those essential measures being deployed, is the gathering of the data required to underpin a decision around the medium and long-term solutions that we have committed to. The medium and long-term solutions are being progressed, but they have to be based on sound information—the typography, the nature of the ground underneath, for example, the old forest track. On one side of the Glen, the existing road is built into a hillside. You do not replicate that error if that is not the right place to put the road. That is where we are, Presiding Officer. As I said, I visited the routes. I have walked the old forest track. I do not offer that as a challenge. I make it as a genuine offer to members who have contributed to this debate. I will arrange a visit for them if they want to do that to see for themselves and to question the engineers about the challenge that they are faced on this route. One engineer I spoke to said that this was not to make an excuse that this was one of the biggest engineering challenges that we had faced in Scotland because of the nature of the location. I say that that is not to make excuses. As we have heard, Presiding Officer, in autumn of last year, 11 corridor route options were published for consultation as a long-term solution to the issues that are to be thankful. All corridors were assessed and in March this year, the Glen Crow corridor route was announced as the preferred route. The preferred corridor is the most cost-effective and least technically challenging of all the corridors that are considered and provides the quickest scope for delivery. I hope that that answers the point about the unnecessary delay. Details of five possible route options to the preferred corridor have been announced. An assessment of those five options is currently under way to determine the best of those. It is a complex project in challenging conditions. The options range from traditional roads and localised structural protection to full tunnel options. Time scales for the long-term safe and resilient solution to the rest and be thankful, as we have heard, range from seven to ten years, depending on what solution is chosen. Those time scales include for all the work to be done on those, but we are not asking people to wait ten years. I fully appreciate that, at face value, the time scales that are being mentioned are frustrating for the community. However, we will look to bring forward the programme where we can. That, in part, is what gathering the data is about. It is not a data collection exercise simply for that purpose. It is to an end product, which is to tell us which of those routes is the most suitable for progressing. It is also necessary that the correct statutory process is followed. First of all, we have to ensure that it is fair and transparent. All the options are looked at for the benefit of the community and local road users, but it is also important that we avoid the risk of a legal challenge. None of us want, when we have heard some powerful contributions tonight, additional ways to be built into that, because someone picks a hole in the processes that were followed. Transport Scotland is currently carrying out, as I said, the data gathering for the routes option, because it is essential that we have that information to inform the decision that has been made. However, while that work is on-going and in recognition of the urgent need to find a solution, Transport Scotland is also progressing work on the medium-term resilient route. That will be a proportionate solution that is appropriate to the time frame, but it will be based on sound engineering principles. The work is considering the existing forestry track, possible improvements to the old military road and other options on land already owned by Scottish ministers. However, a medium-term solution on the south-western slope along or close to the forestry track, contrary to what some might assert, is not without its challenges. There is, as things stand, little available information on the ground conditions in this area. The topography is challenging, and there is evidence of debris flow and boulder fall events. That is why it is imperative that we go through the process that is currently being taken through to ensure that the chosen route for a medium-term solution is proportionate, robust and, above all else, safe for trunk road traffic. Depending on the statutory consensus that is required, that work should be a finalised proposal by this time next year. We intend to be as open as possible with interested parties as we can be. That is why, in September, members of the campaign group, referenced in the motion, were afforded a chance to meet Transport Scotland's engineers and their consultants to walk the forestry track in Glen Crow. That gave both parties the opportunity to discuss the issues and concerns regarding the use of that route. I reiterate that I make that offer to members as well. I think that it would benefit them to go and see it and have that opportunity on site to ask any questions that arise from what they are viewing. Last month, I saw an A83 task force meeting held. We have talked about the task force. That group encompasses a wide range of stakeholders, including MSPs, MPs, local elected members, businesses and community councils, to name a few. Let me be clear that the task force is and remains the appropriate forum for tracking and discussing progress. The data gathering information from the medium and long-term solutions will be shared with the task force when available. The campaign group is represented at the task force. I say to them that, if they have information or, more important, evidence from any advisers that they have that may assist the process, they should share that at task force meetings. In keeping with the task force being the forum for engagement between Transport Scotland and stakeholders, I have asked any task force members who wish to be given the opportunity to walk the forestry track and have that conversation and have such an opportunity. Transport Scotland will provide a project update at the next task force meeting, including the sharing of data from the project surveys. That is a meeting that I would hope to attend, along with officials, so I can answer any questions on the next steps that members of the task force might have. I have much respect for Mr Simpson, but he seems obsessed with the idea that I am at the heart of every discussion in the transport portfolio. I am afraid that that is not possible, Mr Simpson. However, with regard to the nature of meetings, I have heard a number of members make a point about that. If the feeling is that the format is not conducive to the participants of the opportunity to interrogate Transport Scotland's position on that, to ask any questions that they have, I am quite happy to go and look at the format to see whether that can be revised. I am happy to discuss this offline with members. I go back to the point that I made earlier. Are you winding up? I am sorry, this is going on a bit longer. My apologies. We have to deal with the hearing now, which means seeking to mitigate the risk from landslides at the rest and be thankful as a priority as we work through the measures that I have outlined. In the meantime, the work continues at pace. I will review the official report. The sound on Grant's contribution was a bit ropey. I will look at her point about amber lights and red lights. Thank you very much indeed Minister. That concludes this debate, and I close this meeting of Parliament.