asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the M6 link to Heysham.

We have carefully considered the arguments for constructing a link road, but the scale of operations at Heysham and the amount of heavy traffic to and from the port are insufficient to justify trunk road status. There are seasonal traffic problems in the Lancaster and Morecambe areas, but these could be resolved by improvements to the existing local road network. Improvements to local roads are, of course, a matter for the local highway authority.