Minister for Transport John Hayes MP has confirmed his interest in the tunnel under the Morecambe Bay Scheme and has invited David Morris MP to meet with Department officials to progress the idea.
Speaking in Transport Questions David Morris MP said:
'I ask my right hon. Friend, who is affectionately known locally as the people’s Minister, to look favourably on the proposal to have a tunnel under Morecambe bay as it would add to the northern powerhouse proposals that the Chancellor is looking into and envisaging for the country.'
In response John Hayes MP, transport Minister said:
'I wondered whether my hon. Friend might ask this question, because he has raised the subject in an Adjournment debate and I know that he is a great champion of his constituents’ interests. I thought, as you must have done, Mr Speaker, of Ezra Pound, who said:
“What matters is not the idea a man holds, but the depth at which he holds it”.
Any man who advocates tunnelling at this scale certainly holds an idea at very great depth indeed. This is a matter for local councils—for Lancashire and Cumbria—and it is for them to consult their local enterprise partnerships. Nevertheless, I am interested in the scheme and am happy to invite my hon. Friend to the Department to discuss it with officials and see what can be done.'
Speaking after questions David Morris MP said ' I am delighted that the tunnel project is now going to be looked into by the Department of Transport. I have already met with the Local Enterprise Partnership and I have asked them to apply to a fund in the Cabinet Office for a feasibility study which has been ring fenced for the project. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this idea with officials in the Department of Transport'