Following substantial engagement between Isle of Wight West Labour MP, Richard Quigley, and the Department for Transport, the Secretary of State Heidi Alexander has today acknowledged the glaring problem with the Isle of Wight’s ferry travel and committed to doing all she can to find a ‘solution’.
Mr Ferries
A year into the new job Richard Quigley MP has spent so much time talking about cross Solent transport, his colleagues call him Mr Ferries.
“Whilst the issues are obvious to us, it’s my job as a Member of Parliament to raise these issues at the highest levels of government.”
This statement from the Secretary of State comes in the wake of the Island’s ferry roundtable, the first event of its kind in nearly a decade, which brought together Maritime Minister Mike Kane, both Island MPs, and a range of other local stakeholders.
Alexander: We are doing everything we can to find a solution
Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, said,
“It’s clear that transport off the Island is an important issue for residents.
“We have listened to Islanders and Richard Quigley MP has worked tirelessly on bringing this problem to our attention.
“We are doing everything we can to find a solution.”
Formal acknowledgement
Richard believes this commitment from the Secretary of State marks the first time the Department for Transport has formally acknowledged the Isle of Wight’s ferry issues.
Their pledge to do all they can to find a solution shows the government recognises the harm the current ferry services are causing the Island.
Richard added,
“Heidi is very much on top of her brief and wants to make sure the Island benefits from the integrated transport plan. We can’t get off the Island without using a ferry service.
“It’s been really helpful having two MPs for the Island as Joe Robertson and I are united on this issue so the DfT have had twice the volume of requests for help.”
News shared by the office of Richard Quigley MP. Ed
