MP & MSP To Look At Impact Study
 
Newly elected SKAT Chairman Ron Shapland and Press Spokesperson Myrna Scott Moncrieff took the opportunity of meeting with Liberal Democrat MSP John F. Munro and Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy in Uig on Saturday, September 11th to briefly discuss ways in which SKAT could further enlist their support in the campaign.

John Farquhar agreed to look into the matter of the publication of the DTZ Pieda Consulting report on the Skye Bridge: socio-economic Impact Study Phase 3 Business Survey which was conducted last year in Skye arid Lochalsh. SKAT had been asked by businesses on Skye to look into the whereabouts of the report and to try and discover when the report would be published. It has been established that the report was delivered to the Scottish Executive in mid-June and is now in the hands of Sarah Boyack, Minister for Transport and the Environment -Scottish Executive Official C. Scott, of the Economic branch of the development Department, confirmed to SKAT that the report was ready for publication. John Farquhar agreed that the findings of the report might be a double-edged sword for the campaign but if there was a long delay suspicions might arise that the conclusions of the report are not supportive of the Governments position.

Charles Kennedy while admitting that the Skye Bridge issue was now largely in the Scottish Parliament remit advised that he was still pressing the Lord Advocate on the matter of the letter written on November 6, 1995 by the now Lord Rodger to the Procurator Fiscal in Dingwall, and which it has been revealed recently will not be released for 70 years. He expressed the view that there is "A smoking gun in a drawer somewhere". SKAT advised Charles that Professor Allan Millar, Director of the Scottish Human Rights Centre has agreed to take the case of SKAT member Hugh Maclntyre. The European Court of Human Rights has advised Hugh that they will hear his case and he is awaiting a date from them. He will be meeting with Professor Millar in two weeks time. Earlier this year Professor Millar was quoted as saying, "the point at issue is whether there is a justifiable perception on the part of the public that he (Lord Rodger) was compromised because of his suspected role in the development of a prosecution policy". This point of compromise forms part of Hughs case.


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Copyright © Ray Shields, 1999.

Most recent revision, 09 October 1999