By Steven Vass

THE Scottish government faces calls to clarify whether it intends to build the £2 billion new Forth Road Bridge in China after a report leaked to the Sunday Herald indicated that this was the preferred option.

The unpublished report by consultant Jacobs Arup, drawn up in response to options previously laid out by project manager Transport Scotland, only mentions China as a place being considered for manufacturing the main "decking" surface of the bridge.

Given that Transport Scotland previously listed China as one of three possible destinations for the work along with Continental Europe and the UK, it will raise questions as to whether the country was subsequently narrowed down to be the main priority.

Labour MSP John Parks, a regional list member for Mid Scotland and Fife, called on the Scottish Government to rule out the Chinese option, saying he was "flabbergasted" at the prospect.

Parks said: "I raised this with the minister Stewart Stevenson, the transport secretary at the debate on the bridge in December, but he never answered directly.

"The bridge needs to be a lasting legacy not just in terms of infrastructure but also in terms of employment opportunities in the local area. It's ridiculous to even be considering it an overseas contract, given the skilled engineering workforces around the Fife and Lothians area."

Peter Hughes, the chief executive of manufacturing trade association Scottish Engineering, said it would cause "uproar" if the bridge was substantially made in China.

He added that sometimes public procurers mentioned places such as China to keep local contractors' "pencils sharp" on costs when they made their proposals, and hoped that this was the case in this instance.

He said: "I sometimes think we're so laid back in the UK it's unbelievable. If you look at the London Eye, the pods were made in France. If that wheel was made in Paris, you couldn't imagine the French allowing that to happen."

He added that shipping goods from China to Scotland would also have serious implications for the environment.

The report, which is dated February 2008, names the fabrication yards at Rosyth and Methill as venues for assembling the bridge's constituent parts, which is a further sign that they are not the priorities for basic manufacturing.

As well as decking, which is said to constitute about 60% of the total requirements for the bridge, Transport Scotland will have to procure concrete towers and hangers. The towers could be set in Scotland from moulds made overseas.

The new crossing is being built because corrosion in the suspension cables of the current road bridge means it could have to close in 2020.

Harry Frew, the Scottish secretary of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians, said there had to be a balance between making cost savings and Scottish employment, but leaned towards the latter as the top priority.

He said: "Work for Scottish workers is important and we should be doing everything we can to get them into employment."

A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: "The project must be procured under EU law, and will deliver major benefits for the Scottish economy. There are a number of possibilities for the material sourcing and fabrication, including local options, and no decisions have been taken at this stage."

Jacobs Arup failed to respond to questions at the time of going to press.