§ 2. Mr. Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove)If he will make a statement on progress on the South-East Manchester multi-modal transport scheme. [71413]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. David Jamieson)We announced in March 2002 our endorsement of the recommended strategy of the south-east Manchester multi-modal transport study and asked the delivery agencies to develop the elements of the strategy in more detail. An implementation group has been established and progress is being made.
§ Mr. StunellI thank the Minister for his reply and for the prompt and positive start that has been made on implementing the study. He will be aware of the importance to my constituency of the Hazel Grove bypass, which is part of the integrated transport package. Will he agree to meet a deputation from Stockport to see whether ways can be found to take advantage of the consents granted at the original public inquiry a decade ago, so that time is not lost, public money is not wasted and, more to the point, the scheme is not delayed?
§ Mr. JamiesonI note the hon. Gentleman's welcome not only for the multi-modal study but for the Government's swift action in looking at the plan. I am sure that he also welcomes the extra funding that we have made available through the local transport plans in his area and the £9 million that was made available to Manchester and Cheshire to take forward some of the initial programme of work in the scheme.
The hon. Gentleman will know that there are problems with the road that he mentioned because of the planning inquiry conducted at the time by the Highways 161 Agency and through the Secretary of State. The road has now been detrunked and I accept that there are some problems with going through the whole procedure again.
I met a cross-party group from Stockport when I was in the area in April. If the hon. Gentleman wants to bring another cross-party group to talk with me about these concerns, I shall of course be delighted to meet both him and them.
§ Sir Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield)In essence I support the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Mr. Stunell). Would the Minister be happy for a Cheshire Member to be included in this deputation, and perhaps my hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne)? Although in my area there is some difference regarding the improvements that are required, does the Minister believe it right that the Macclesfield silk road, which is a wonderful dual carriageway, should, between Macclesfield and Poynton, become a single carriageway with just some on-line improvements, to link up with the Poynton bypass which is also a single carriageway and would link up with the Manchester airport eastern link road? Does he accept that SEMMMS is dealing with the country's road requirements for 2021 onwards, while the Government's recommendations do not even deal with the roads that are required today?
§ Mr. JamiesonI am not quite sure which Cheshire Member the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir N. Winterton) had in mind for me to meet, although I would be happy to meet the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) as well.
The multi-modal studies were established to enable local authorities to work closely with each other and the other delivery agencies—the Strategic Rail Authority, the Highways Agency and the Government office in the area—to come up with solutions that were based on local knowledge. On the road to which the hon. Gentleman refers, the recommendation came not from the Government but from local groups that know the situation in the area. I appreciate his point about inward development, prosperity in the area and the need for those road links, but I reiterate that those proposals came not from the Government but from his own area, perhaps from some of his own councillors. He may want to use some of his energies and efforts to address matters locally. If he wants to join in discussions about it, I say the more the merrier.