§ 9. Mr. Colin Pickthall (West Lancashire)If he will make a statement on the provision of a bypass for Ormskirk. [138862]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. David Jamieson)I fully understand the importance that local people attach to the bypass for Ormskirk, but it is for Lancashire county council to determine the priorities for local road building and to make bids accordingly.
§ Mr. PickthallIs my hon. Friend aware that Ormskirk is one of the worst, if not the worst, bottlenecks in the north-west, because it is built around the crossroads of the A59 and the A570? That applies particularly to traffic heading from the M58 to Southport, which is very heavy in the summer, and sometimes queues up for more than 2 miles outside the town, leading to terrible conditions. The campaign for the bypass has been going on since before the first world war. It featured in the Department's programme until 1998, when it was picked out, and it is now joint second in the Lancashire plan. During my time in Parliament, six Ministers have been to see the problem—I would be delighted if my hon. Friend were to be the seventh. Even more importantly, will he talk to the council and the Highways Agency to get the project moving?
§ Mr. JamiesonI congratulate my hon. Friend on his robust campaigning on this issue. I am very aware of the congestion in Ormskirk, and I would happily be the seventh Minister to visit that road. As he knows, it is due 610 for de-trunking, and should therefore become the responsibility of Lancashire county council. I have asked the Government Office for the North-West to reignite the discussions between the Highways Agency and Lancashire county council with a view to getting the council to take the road over. It will then be able to apply for local transport plan funding for the bypass. Although I cannot give my hon. Friend a guarantee that that will be possible, the very substantial increase that the council has received over the past three years should give him grounds for optimism.
§ Dr. John Pugh (Southport)A bypass would bring economic benefits to my constituency, as well as to Ormskirk, and the fact that there is no opposition to it makes it all the stranger that it has not gone ahead. Is the Minister aware that recent, highly controversial changes in hospital configuration mean that ambulances going to accident and emergency departments in Ormskirk and Southport will have to criss-cross the busy town centre of Ormskirk? Will he look into that and speed up traffic in Lancashire?
§ Mr. JamiesonI can tell the hon. Gentleman that we have already looked into that. I am aware that the reconfiguration of health services in the area has caused potential problems for ambulances on the road. I have asked the Government Office for the North-West to liaise with the health authorities in Southport and Ormskirk and with Lancashire county council about taking short-term traffic management measures to alleviate possible delays to ambulance services travelling along the road.