Schedule for the pathway on the A77 between the Holmston Roundabout and Whitletts: EIR Review

Information requested

Orginal Request 202400422702

“1. What is the agreed maintenance schedule for this section of the A77?
2. Who is responsible for monitoring the work to ensure that the roads maintenance provider is meeting his contractual obligations?
3. When was it last inspected by your officers?”

Response

I have now completed my review of our response to your request reference: 202400422702. For the purposes of clarity, I am responding under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs).

My review found that your original request for information was answered as general correspondence when it should have been handled under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs) as there was a clear request to receive recorded information held by SG.

To ensure that we avoid a reoccurrence in the future we will notify the team that allocates and assigns such requests as well as the original case handler to improve future handling of correspondence and identify appropriate training needs. Please accept my apologies for the mishandling of your correspondence. I have concluded that, as a result, the information you requested was not provided and that therefore a new decision should be substituted.

Your original request sent on 14 July 2024 asked:

“1. What is the agreed maintenance schedule for this section of the A77?
2. Who is responsible for monitoring the work to ensure that the roads maintenance provider is meeting his contractual obligations?
3. When was it last inspected by your officers?”

Having reviewed various aspects of your original request including associated paperwork, discussions with the original case handler and a review of the regime it was handled under (as above) I now enclose the information below in relation to your questions.

In relation to question 1 on the agreed maintenance schedule, this was answered in the original response:
“Our operating company Amey has a contractual requirement to inspect the footway between Ayr and Minishant once a year. This is carried out in November.”

In relation to question 2, I can provide further information as follows as it was not provided as part of the original response. To ensure our Operating Company contracts deliver value for money, we have in place an external Performance Audit Group (PAG) who audit, monitor, and report on the financial, technical and performance aspects of the operating companies to ensure standards are being met.

In relation to question 3, the last scheduled inspection was carried out in November 2023 and as per your original response the Amey operations team have subsequently been on site to overgrown vegetation along the length of footway between Ayr and Minishant.

Within your review request you raised additional questions which we have registered as a new request for information, are being dealt with separately and you will receive a separate response for this. The case number for this new request is 202400426136.

About FOI

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