3. To ask the Scottish Government how much has been invested in the trunk road network in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency since Amey took over management of the network. (S6O-02976)

Transport Scotland records trunk road maintenance and spend through the operating companies’ contracts on a whole-route basis. Therefore, figures cannot be disaggregated for exact spend between specific locations. Notwithstanding that, since the start of the Amey south-west contract in August 2020 up to the latest report covering the period to the end of September 2023, the Government has invested £25.9 million in the maintenance of the A78 and £77.6 million on the A8 trunk road through Amey’s contract. Those figures cover all aspects of maintenance, including resurfacing works, drainage improvements, road safety measures, maintenance of structures, incident management and winter treatments.

Since Amey took over the contract from Scotland TranServ in 2020, it has been clear to see that additional work has been taking place on the A8 and the A78 in my constituency. Amey took over during the pandemic and inherited significant challenges, and I thank Amey for the work that it has done.

Can the minister assure my constituents that Amey will continue to invest in the trunk road network in my constituency and that further improvements to the road surface will take place in the next financial year, including at the Bogston train station?

I thank the member for recognising the maintenance efforts and the investment in the Inverclyde area, especially during the challenges of the recent pandemic, as the member noted. Transport Scotland works diligently with its operating companies to ensure trunk road maintenance and to provide safe use and reliability for those who use the roads. I can reassure members that investment will continue in the 2024-25 financial year on the A78 and A8 trunk roads, with an anticipated programme of improvement works totalling £4.7 million. I will ask officials to ensure that Mr McMillan is updated when the dates are set for certain elements of that.