Letter: Forth figures

Your article, “Just 2.5 per cent of Forth contracts go to Scots” (16 February), is simply wrong.The figure of £790 million used as the basis for this inaccurate calculation is the full principal contract price awarded in April 2011.

It includes all the costs of our main contractors, FCBC (which includes Scottish-based Morrison Construction) over the six-year construction period.

The £20m share of subcontracts already awarded to Scottish firms is just the beginning.

There will be many more subcontract opportunities advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland website throughout the coming months and years of this exciting and vital project.

In addition, 870 out of 1,041 supply orders awarded on the principal contract have already gone to Scottish companies.

I am delighted that Scottish innovation, ingenuity and enterprise is already securing work related to the new crossing and other major projects.

I do hope that in future any debate over this vital project will be better informed and that we can start to appreciate that this is a massive opportunity for all of Scotland, an iconic project that we can be proud of for many reasons, not least creating and securing Scottish jobs.

Alex Neil MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment

Scottish Parliament

Edinburgh