7. Will the Minister provide an update on plans to improve the trunk road network in Monmouthshire? OAQ54782

Yes, of course. Transport links are vital to our economy and we are committed to ensuring a robust and well-maintained road network. Our priorities for improving the network are outlined in our national transport finance plan, which was updated in May of this year.

Thank you, Minister. When I last raised the issue of the A4042 flooding problem at Llanellen with your colleague, the Deputy Minister, a few weeks ago he pointed out, rightly, that the problems are well-known and difficult to deal with and if I had any solutions to let you know. Well, it seemed to me, thinking about this afterwards, that there is one obvious, although costly, solution, which would be a bypass for the village, avoiding this particularly problematic section altogether and also avoiding the bridge, which has problems as well. Plans for a Llanellen bypass and a bypass further south at Penperlleni go back decades but have remained pipe dreams because of the cost issue. Now that the new Grange University Hospital is well under way and will be opening, I believe, next year, I wonder if we could revisit again the possibility of a bypass at this problematic section of the A4042 because, at some point in the future, patients' lives could depend on it and commuters would certainly like to see improvements. 

Well, through the new Wales transport strategy, which will be published next year, we'll be able to take a view of all opportunities to improve the resilience of the road network, and not just the resilience of the road network, but other means of being able to get people from A to B. You've seen, for example, bus services, active travel and rail services. Now, I think it's fair to say that, following discussions with the landowner and the tenant farmer, the farmer did extraordinary work in clearing ditches within his land back in 2018, 2019. I am very grateful for that work to help with the flooding on the A4042. We keep it well monitored and we will consider all means to address any further flooding that takes place. 

Thank you very much, Minister.