FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has given a firm guarantee the missing M74 link will be completed.

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has given a firm guarantee the missing M74 link will be completed.

But he wouldn't say when.

Challenged by Shettleston MSP Frank McAveety at First Minister's Questions over whether the Government remained committed to the project, Mr Salmond gave a one-word answer: "Yes".

Mr McAveety said completing the motorway was the most important infrastructure project for Scotland over the next 10 years "not just for economic growth" and, using Mr Salmond's own words, to make the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow "the best ever".

And he warned it was too important to be left to "closed-doors" negotiations with the SNP's two Green Party allies at Holyrood. They oppose the project.

Mr McAveety challenged the First Minister to show his commitment by having the contract for it signed within the next 90 days.

He told Mr Salmond: "Unlike other developments this is a project made in Scotland, to be constructed for Scotland for the benefit of Scotland."

The First Minister said final tenders were submitted on November 9, but no comment could be made until they were properly assessed.

He said the government had to make sure "the public purse has value for money in delivering this vitally important infrastructure project".

He added: "But make no mistake, the completion of the M74 is a huge and important project."

Cunninghame North Nationalist MSP Kenneth Gibson claimed completing the M74 could have been achieved much sooner if "the unholy trinity of Labour, Tory and LibDem MSPs had not voted to waste £490million on an entirely superfluous Edinburgh tram scheme."

Mr McAveety said later that he was not satisfied by Mr Salmond's answer and was submitting a written question asking him when the project would be completed.

He said: "There was no commitment to an immediate timescale - just a general commitment to have it ready for the Commonwealth Games (in 2014).

"The target should be 2011 for the completion and I'm disappointed with the answer."