Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 7 February (HL Deb, col 1592), and in the light of the report by the Office of Rail and Road on 2 February stating that Highways England is revising the plans about what capital projects it will define by 2020, whether the programme to dual-carriage the A1 north of Newcastle will start in 2020 and be completed on time and on budget by 2023.

As set out in the Road Investment Strategy (RIS) of December 2014, construction of the A1 dualling schemes between Morpeth and Ellingham is expected to start works in 2019-2020. This is subject to completion of statutory planning processes and continuing to demonstrate value for money.

The A1 in Northumberland programme will also benefit from a package of smaller scale junction improvements, overtaking lanes and pedestrian improvements north of Ellingham. These are planned to start construction in 2018 and this is also subject to completion of statutory planning processes and continuing to demonstrate value for money.