10. Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for improving communications between the Wrexham area and the M6 motorway.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Michael Roberts)My right hon. Friend's responsibilities lie within Wales. Proposals for the improvement of the trunk route north from Wrexham to link with the Chester southerly bypass and the M56—M6 are at present the subject of a public local inquiry. To the south, plans for the Ruabon and Newbridge bypasses have already been the subject of a public inquiry, and my right hon. Friend is currently considering the inspector's report. Plans for a bypass at Chirk are being revised.
Mr. EllisDoes the Under-Secretary agree that a prerequisite of enabling the Wrexham economy to return 791 to normal would be adequate communications, not only with the markets of Merseyside and Greater Manchester but with the great markets of the Midlands of England, and that the best way of doing that would be a direct link eastwards from Wrexham to the motorway? Will the hon. Gentleman consult his colleagues in other Departments to push forward such a programme, which would be beneficial not only to Wrexham but to large parts of North Wales?
§ Mr. RobertsI appreciate the hon. Gentleman's desire to establish good communications between his constituency and the M6. He will know that the road best suited to that—the A534—is a non-trunk road and is therefore the responsibility of the Clwyd and Cheshire county councils. The question of priority is for them to decide, but I shall certainly look carefully at what the hon. Gentleman has said.