To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to make an announcement regarding his proposals to introduce a crawler lane for the A48 at Hardwick hill, Chepstow; and if he will make a statement.

Gwent county council, as agent, is currently considering several options for the improvement of Hardwick Hill on its existing alignment. To confirm the feasibility of each of these options further studies have to be carried out. It is not possible to predict when an announcement will be made until the results of these studies are evaluated.