Jerome Mayhew – 2023 Parliamentary Question on the Menai Bridge Closure

The parliamentary question asked by Jerome Mayhew, the Conservative MP for Broadland, in the House of Commons on 18 January 2023.

Jerome Mayhew (Broadland) (Con)

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on the closure of the Menai bridge.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Dr James Davies)

Roads are a devolved matter and the decision to close the Menai suspension bridge was therefore made by the Welsh Government. Work has commenced on the emergency replacement of brittle hangers dating back to 1938, and this will be followed by additional maintenance works. Welsh Government Ministers assure me that, subject to safety assessments, the bridge is due to reopen at the end of this month.

Jerome Mayhew

The Menai bridge supplies the lifeline of tourism to Anglesey and the wider region. Given Welsh Labour’s negligent handling of the maintenance of the bridge, and now its closure for months, how does my hon. Friend think Welsh Labour is doing on its manifesto commitment to rebuild tourism in Wales?

Dr Davies

Quality road infrastructure is vital to unlocking the potential of the north Wales visitor economy. I believe that there are questions to be answered about the specification of the contracted private finance initiative maintenance schedule for the bridge, which was awarded by the last Labour UK Government in 1998, and about the stalled consideration of a third crossing on the Menai strait. I urge the Welsh Government to publish the findings of the roads review and resume the improvement of the north Wales road network.