Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Transport: Economic Growth

Thursday 11 September 2025 · 6 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Helen Morgan raised concerns about the A483's accident blackspot at Llynclys, which disrupts traffic and discourages local use.
  • Sir Gavin Williamson inquired about the impact of the M54-M6 link road construction on local businesses, requesting support for affected enterprises.
  • Rebecca Smith questioned the Labour Government's commitment to repairing the Dawlish railway line, contrasting it with previous Conservative Government efforts.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Helen Morgan Lib Dem North Shropshire
Transport
Context

The A483 is a critical route between Welshpool and Oswestry, but it has an accident blackspot at Llynclys in Helen Morgan's constituency. Highways England has expressed interest in improving this section of the road.

Question

The A483 is critical to economic prosperity in mid-Wales and North Shropshire—it runs between Welshpool and Oswestry—but it has a huge accident blackspot at Llynclys in my constituency, which really holds up the traffic, and local people positively avoid the area. Highways England has said that it is keen to improve that road. Will the Secretary of State tell us the timetable for those works?

Answer from Heidi Alexander

I understand the point that the hon. Lady is making. If I may, I will write to her with details about that junction on the A483.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific timeline for works

How: I Will Write To Her

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Q2 Gavin Williamson Con Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
Transport Business & Trade
Context

The Chancellor announced investment in the M54-M6 link road during the spending review. However, local businesses are concerned about potential disruptions during construction.

Question

The announcement by the Secretary of State of the investment in the M54-M6 link road was very much welcomed, but a number of local businesses, including Hollies farm shop and Cate’s Cakes, will potentially be impacted, as people may not be able to access them during construction. Will the Secretary of State arrange for one of her senior officials to meet me and a number of local businesses to discuss how these issues can best be mitigated?

Answer from Heidi Alexander

I was very pleased that the Chancellor announced in the spending review that we would move ahead with the M54-M6 link road. As the then Roads Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham South (Lilian Greenwood), has said, that was a “no-brainer”. I would be very happy to ask my officials to meet the right hon. Gentleman to discuss support for local businesses during construction.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to arranging an immediate meeting

How: I Will Arrange A Meeting With Officials

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Q3 Max Wilkinson Lib Dem Cheltenham
Economy Housing Transport
Context

Junction 10 of the M5 near Cheltenham is a key piece of infrastructure that can unlock economic growth and housing development. However, there is currently a significant funding gap of £70 million.

Question

Junction 10 of the M5 on the edge of my constituency is a key piece of transport infrastructure that can unlock growth, thousands of new jobs—it is adjacent to GCHQ, and so can support national cyber-security and intelligence work—and housing growth, which the Government have made a key priority. As a result of delays, there is a huge funding gap, amounting to about £70 million. Can Ministers have a word with their colleagues at Homes England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to work out how that gap can be fixed, so that we can deliver those new homes, which are much needed, and the jobs too?

Answer from Heidi Alexander

I would be very happy to have those discussions across Government. I believe the local authority met recently to consider whether it could provide any support to fill the funding gap and, potentially, secure developer contributions towards that scheme.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to immediate interdepartmental action

How: I Will Have Discussions Across Government

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Q4 Rebecca Smith Con South West Devon
Transport
Context

The Dawlish railway line is vital for economic growth in Devon and Cornwall. Previous Conservative Governments committed to repairing the line, but this Labour Government have only committed to funding if survey work shows it is necessary.

Question

Previous Conservative Governments were committed to repairing the railway line at Dawlish, which is vital to Devon and Cornwall’s economic growth, yet this Labour Government have said that they will complete the rail resilience programme only if and when survey work shows that it is needed. Given the likelihood that the Treasury’s emergency fund will have been spent on public sector pay increases, can the Secretary of State guarantee that funding will be found for resilience works, if they have not been planned and committed to as part of a fiscal event, should an unexpected incident or landslip take out the line at Dawlish?

Answer from Heidi Alexander

We are still funding drainage works and survey work on the Dawlish line. Four phases of work have already been completed. The cliffs are much more resilient than they were a number of years ago, when we experienced catastrophic failure. We have paused funding, but we will continue to keep under review the information that comes back from the survey so that we can continue to provide a reliable and resilient service for people in the south-west.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not guarantee specific future funding

How: We Will Keep It Under Review

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Q5 John Glen Con Salisbury
Transport
Context

Lawrence Bowman, the new CEO of South Western Railway, has to write a five-year plan. John Glen is keen for this plan to address issues such as the Tisbury loop.

Question

On Friday, I had the privilege of meeting Lawrence Bowman, the new chief executive of South Western Railway, who brings with him over 20 years of experience in the industry. We travelled from Salisbury to Tisbury. He says that he has to write a five-year plan. I am keen to ensure that that has the maximum impact and deals with the Tisbury loop. Salisbury is on the gateway to the south-west. I would be grateful if the Secretary of State delegated an official or a Minister to meet me so that, as the five-year plan is constructed, there are no unreasonable constraints or misunderstandings over what is necessary to ensure that the railway is at the centre of economic growth in the south-west.

Answer from Heidi Alexander

I am pleased to hear that the right hon. Gentleman had a constructive meeting with the new South Western leadership. I was clear with Lawrence Bowman when he took up the job that I wanted him to meet local MPs along the route to talk about quick wins to improve services. I am very happy to ask officials from the Department for Transport to meet the right hon. Gentleman to have the conversations he seeks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to immediate meetings

How: I Will Arrange A Meeting With Officials

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Q6 Paul Kohler Lib Dem Wimbledon
Transport
Context

The Evening Standard reported that there have been 149 incidents of industrial action on TfL since Sadiq Khan became Mayor, causing inconvenience to millions of people and disrupting businesses.

Question

Can the Secretary of State tell us what steps she is taking as a senior Labour politician to sort out the mess caused by the Labour Mayor of London’s failure to reach an agreement with his Labour friends in the RMT?

Answer from Heidi Alexander

I understand everyone’s frustrations with the tube strikes; I use public transport in London every week, and I know that when the tube is down, not only are there queues for buses, but there is gridlock on our roads. It is right that the Mayor of London has called for the RMT to get back around the table with TfL. That is what this Government want, and it is what the travelling public want. I will be talking to the director of operations at Transport for London, Claire Mann, this afternoon, to understand what the next steps are in resolving this dispute.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not provide specific actions beyond stating that she will talk to TfL's director of operations.

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