Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the consultation on the UK's first space port; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
I refer my Hon Friend to my answer of 8 March, UIN 28858 (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=28858).
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the progress of repairs to the Loyn Bridge in Gressingham in the Lune Valley in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Progress in respect to the repairs to the Loyn Bridge following damage caused by the winter storms is entirely a matter for Lancashire County Council as local highway authority. The Department for Transport has provided £5 million funding to the Council and they will undertake repairs to the bridge as soon as practicable.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of trunking the new M6 link road from junction 34.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The M6 link road to Heysham is a local road that has been funded by Government to complete the connection from the Heysham and Morecambe peninsula to Junction 34 of the M6. Neither the local authority nor the Department has raised the issue of trunking the road.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any recent assessment has been made of proposals to extend the connection of junction 35 (A601M) Carnforth on the M6 to the A590 in Cumbria.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Highways England has made no recent assessment of a proposal to extend the A601(M) to the A590.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of potential increases to the port usage of Heysham after the new Heysham M6 link road is completed; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Jones
None. As this is a local road and not part of the Strategic Road Network, the assessment was carried out by Lancashire County Council. However, the scheme will certainly improve access to the Port and improve accessibility for related local businesses.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing capacity on the West Coast Mainline after completion of the HS2 and related projects.
Answered by Claire Perry
Network Rail leads the long term planning process, which works with local authorities and operators to identify and consider future options for capacity improvement across the rail network as a whole. Network Rail studies are underway to consider future capacity on the West Coast Main Line, but no assessment has been made at this stage by the government. In due course, the government will consider the full range of options for capacity improvements on national rail that are identified by the industry processes. These industry options will feed into the Government’s decisions on Rail Investment Strategies for the periods 2019-2024 and beyond, taking into account the recommendations of the Hendy, Bowe and Shaw reports.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the condition of local roads.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Government fully understand how important it is to have a reliable quality road network, which is why we are providing a record £6 billion for local highways maintenance. We have also created the pothole action fund with a budget of £250 million dedicated to delivering better journeys.