NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Use 5 February 2010 SNP MINISTERS DECEIVE & U-TURN IN BEAULY-DENNY LINE DECISION Mid-Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has accused members of the SNP Government of deceiving the people of Perthshire and Stirlingshire after they have backtracked on parliamentary motions that they have lodged on the Beauly to Denny power line. Amid concerns from Perth and Kinross Council, the Highland Council and the Cairngorms National Park Authority, SNP MSP for Perth and now Minister for the Environment Roseanna Cunningham demanded that the undergrounding of the power line to be explored in July 2006. In her parliamentary motion, she argued that undergrounding would decrease electric and magnetic fields (EMF) exposure limits. In addition to this, SNP Minister for Parliamentary Business Bruce Crawford also lodged a parliamentary motion in November 2005 which flagged up concerns about the link between high voltage power lines and child leukaemia. The SNP Government dismissed these concerns and did not require undergrounding of the line in parts of Stirlingshire and Perthshire when making the decision. Commenting, Murdo Fraser said: “It is incredible that Bruce Crawford MSP and Roseanna Cunningham MSP lodged parliamentary motions which called for the Beauly to Denny power line to be undergrounded and highlighted health concerns with overhead pylons and then in Government agreed to the line proceeding. These SNP Ministers deceived the people of Perthshire and Stirlingshire into believing that they would require the line to be undergrounded. It is disappointing that they have failed to stand up for their constituents when it matters. “This change in policy goes to show that this SNP Government cannot be trusted as they are willing to put their political agenda above the health of constituents and the landscape of Perthshire and Stirlingshire.” ENDS   back to top of page