6. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for alleviating road and rail congestion in Pencoed? OQ55440

Yes, of course. We've previously awarded Bridgend council £300,000 in local transport grants to appraise options in Pencoed. This scheme would contribute greatly towards alleviating road and rail congestion in Pencoed and in the surrounding areas.

I thank the Minister for that response and for the continuing Welsh Government support and interest within this project. He'll be pleased to know that the meetings, chaired by myself and Chris Elmore MP, which bring together Network Rail, TfW, Bridgend County Borough Council, Welsh Government interest, but also the local town council, who have been a major champion of this, and along with an observer from the Secretary of State's office as well—. The secret of this is bringing all those parties together to unlock the split that currently goes right through the centre of Pencoed as a town and stymies both social and economic development.

So, in raising this question, I'm seeking the continued support of Welsh Government, who've helped to drive this forward with the feasibility study. And at the last meeting, the Minister will be pleased to know that we saw the second phase of that initial study completed, and it's pointing us in the right direction, but we will never get this done unless we also have Department for Transport and UK Government funded into it as well. So, will he also add his shoulder to that in his discussions with the Secretary of State for Wales and UK Ministers?

Well, most certainly I will, and I'd like to thank Huw again for the question about this important project, which could make a huge difference in terms of connectivity and speedy transportation between communities in and around his constituency. We're continuing to engage, as I know the Member is aware, with Network Rail on taking forward this scheme. We've encouraged Network Rail to include the project on the list of proposals for funding under the Network Rail DfT light scheme. We've allocated funding, I'm pleased to be able to say, totalling more than £5 million in this financial year for the metro plus schemes, and I understand that Bridgend council will be progressing work through this funding opportunity. But as the Member has stated, rail infrastructure outside of the core Valleys lines is not devolved and still remains the responsibility of UK Government. So, it's absolutely vital that the UK Government invests in this area as it attempts to level up. Removing the level crossing at Pencoed would make a very significant difference indeed.