Junction 9 of the M3, where it meets the A34 near Winchester will be redesigned under the plans to create dedicated free flow lanes which will allow drivers travelling between the M3 and the A34 to avoid using the junction roundabout. The roundabout itself will be redesigned into a new ‘dumbbell’ layout, which will increase capacity, improve safety and make journey times more reliable.

The plans go on show today in a public consultation lasting until 19 February 2018.

Highways England project manager Simon Hewett said:

Junction 9 is a vital interchange between the M3 and A34. With more than 6,000 vehicles using the junction each hour during peak times, it can often become congested, with queues backing up onto the main carriageway.

The proposals we are publishing today will resolve that by separating out local and long distance traffic. With the new dedicated link roads, through traffic will not have to stop at the roundabout, freeing it up for local traffic and commuters. We are improving access for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians too. I urge anyone interested to send us their feedback and to come along to one of our exhibitions.

Dr Mike Short CBE, Chairman of the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said:

We are delighted that the proposed improvements to junction 9 of the M3 have progressed to the stage of public consultation. This scheme is key investment in our transport infrastructure to support the local economy, by easing transport congestion, which businesses in our area state is a major barrier to growth.

The improvements to junction 9 are critical to enhancing the strategic corridor that runs all the way from the Port of Southampton to the Midlands and the North, which will help to rebalance the national economy. This corridor has a major national and regional strategic role and this improvement scheme is very welcome.

The M3 is the main road between London and the Solent Ports, while the A34 is the main corridor between the south coast and the Midlands. Around 110,000 vehicles use the junction every day, including over 5,500 HGVs, from Southampton and Portsmouth Docks.

The proposed free-flow interchange will help to reduce congestion by removing the need for through traffic to use the roundabout, in turn improving safety. The proposals include:

• introducing free-flow slip roads, both northbound and southbound between the M3 and A34, so traffic intending to use the interchange will not need to enter the roundabout at the junction
• reconfiguring the roundabout to a new ‘dumbbell’ road layout increasing capacity and reducing congestion
• upgrading the cycle routes to complete the gap in route 23 of the National Cycle Network
• upgrades to footpaths and improved bridleway access for horse riders

The improvements outlined by Highways England today would mean crucial additional capacity for the junction to improve journeys and support development in the Winchester area, which includes up to 11,000 homes and 17,200 jobs in the Winchester area. The proposals will also help to support developments at Southampton container port which are expected to increase freight traffic on the M3 and A34 by one third of the current levels.

Funding for the scheme comes from the Department for Transport’s £15bn Roads Investment Strategy, announced in 2014, which is providing people with better journeys, cutting congestion and improving the economy.

A public consultation on the proposals starts today and runs until 19 February. Highways England is holding five information exhibitions at venues in Winchester and Kings Worthy so that people can examine the proposals and put any questions directly to the project team.

All responses to the consultation will be carefully considered before an announcement is made on a preferred route later this spring. Subject to a successful outcome, construction could start in 2021 and take around two years to complete.

Details on the proposals and the dates for the information exhibitions, along with the opportunity to give us your views are available on the consultation page.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

With permission, Mr Speaker, I should like to make a statement on the Parole Board’s decision to release John Worboys and the government’s response to the issues raised by this case.

I should like to start by echoing the statement made by my predecessor at the weekend, and to express my unreserved sympathy to all of the victims. They will never erase the emotional trauma of his crimes and the Parole Board’s decision to order his release must have brought back painful memories. These were horrific crimes and I take the concerns raised, including by many colleagues of this House, very seriously.

John Worboys was convicted of 19 offences in 2009, and received an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection with a minimum tariff of 8 years in custody. Following the expiry of the tariff, he was eligible for review by the Parole Board, which was required to consider whether to release him.

The Board reviewed his case at a hearing on 8 November 2017, by which time he had served 10 years in custody including a period on remand. A three person panel considered a detailed dossier of evidence. Its subsequent decision to release him was communicated to my department on 3 January.

There are two main concerns in respect of the contact with victims that I think it essential to address today: whether the correct procedures were followed in this case; and whether those procedures are right, or whether improvements are needed.

Turning first to whether procedures were followed in this case, all victims of the crimes for which he was convicted have a statutory right to receive information about parole hearings and decisions under the Victim Contact Scheme (VCS). On the basis of the information I have received since arriving in the department yesterday, it appears that in relation to these victims, those who opted to remain in contact via the VCS were informed of the parole hearing. Of the victims currently in contact with the Scheme, those who chose to be informed of the Parole Board decision by phone or email were contacted immediately on 3 January, although I have just become aware of a case where a victim did not receive the email. Letters were also sent immediately to those who chose to be informed that way, but these of course took longer to arrive. Some victims entitled to this contact chose not to opt in, which of course is their right.

Any victims whose crimes were not prosecuted do not fall within the statutory remit of the VCS, and so the arrangements are different. Discretionary contact can be considered, but in this instance, the National Probation Service has no record of any requests for discretionary contact.

However, while it appears that the correct procedures were followed, the fact that some victims learned of the decision from the media suggests that there is a need to review these procedures and examine whether lessons can be learned and improvements can be made.

It is a priority for this government that victims of rape and sexual assault have full confidence in the criminal justice system. Sentence lengths for these horrific crimes have increased by over 30% since 2010 and more victims are coming forward, but there is still more to do.

I should be absolutely clear that I think that that the Parole Board should remain an independent body, responsible for making decisions about the ongoing risk that individuals pose after serving their tariff.

But I agree with my predecessor’s assessment that there is a strong case to review the case for transparency in the process for parole decisions and how victims are appropriately engaged in that process, and consider the case for changes in policy, practice or the Parole Board Rules, or other guidance or procedures including the Victims’ Code. With that in mind, I can confirm that I have instructed my officials to establish a review to examine these questions and I will share more information on this shortly.

I think it is appropriate that the department leads this work, but that it consults victims’ groups and others. I have spoken to the Victims’ Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, and the Chair of the Parole Board, Nick Hardwick, to discuss what changes we could make and how best to draw on their expertise and insight in this review.

Finally, I note that the Chair of the Justice Select Committee has announced his intention to hold an evidence session. My department stands ready to provide the committee with any information it may require.

Mr. Speaker, I intend to prioritise this review and it will conclude before Easter. I hope that this course of action reassures the House of the importance and priority I attach to this. As such I commend this statement to the House.

L-R Phil Rothwell, Chair of the Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, Martin Lawlor, Chief Executive of Port of Blyth, and Tristan Drought from the Environment Agency.

£100 million deal to provide future support to the Royal Air Force’s fleet of Puma HC Mk2 helicopters. Crown copyright.