Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Network North and HS2 Phase 2: Comparative Assessment

Thursday 26 October 2023 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The cost of HS2 has increased, reducing its relative economic benefits.
  • Every penny from the 36 billion intended for HS2 phase 2 will be reinvested into local infrastructure and transport schemes across the country.
  • The rail Minister is willing to discuss the evaluation of new service benefits from HS2 phase 1 with the hon. Friend.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Charlotte Nichols Lab Warrington North
Economy Transport
Context

The MP highlights the importance of rail infrastructure for economic growth, connectivity and inward investment.

Question

What comparative assessment has been made of the economic impact of Network North and phase 2 of High Speed 2?

Answer from Mark Harper

The cost of HS2 has increased, reducing its relative benefits. Every penny from £36 billion that would have been spent on phase 2 will be reinvested into local infrastructure and transport schemes across the country, including £20 billion for projects in the north.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The economic comparison is not provided.

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Q2 Charlotte Nichols Lab Warrington North
Transport
Context

MP notes that many projects announced under Network North were previously promised and not delivered over the last 13 years.

Question

If those projects have not been delivered, why should constituents trust this is not a case of the north getting neither while London benefits from major transport infrastructure projects?

Answer from Mark Harper

Every single penny that would have been spent in the north is being spent in the north, and every single penny that was going to be spent in the midlands is being reinvested in the midlands. The money freed up from HS2 Euston will be spent on transport projects better suited to local needs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not directly address why constituents should trust this time over previous promises.

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Q3 Iain Stewart Con
Transport
Context

Former chair of the Strategic Rail Authority claims HS2 benefits were not fully evaluated in the business case.

Question

Will the Minister investigate whether this is the case and, if so, why it was not properly evaluated?

Answer from Mark Harper

The phase 1 benefit-cost ratio for HS2 captured some benefits of released capacity but did not include all new service benefits. The rail Minister will be happy to discuss this further with the hon. Friend.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not commit to a full investigation or detailed evaluation.

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Q4 Imran Hussain Lab Bradford East
Transport
Context

MP welcomes inclusion of a new city centre station and fast rail connection in the Government's Network North strategy.

Question

Will the Minister confirm that this Government will firmly commit to a high-speed, high-capacity line between Manchester and Bradford without interchanges?

Answer from Mark Harper

The day after the party conference I went to Bradford and met with local leaders who welcomed our plans for the station and rail lines. The Minister hopes that the hon. Gentleman shares this view.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not provide a firm commitment without caveats or interchanges.

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Q5 Peter Gibson
Transport
Context

MP welcomes the £1 billion allocated to Tees Valley under Network North.

Question

What advice can the Minister give to ensure that Darlington secures £160 million for the northern link road and £10 million for the North Road station?

Answer from Mark Harper

The hon. Friend is a champion for transport schemes in his constituency. I encourage him to raise these issues with the Tees Valley Combined Authority, which can focus on important transport projects across the region, particularly in Darlington.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not provide specific advice or guarantees for securing funding.

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Q6 Stephen Morgan Lab Portsmouth South
Standards & Ethics
Context

MP questions whether the true cost of HS2 was hidden from Parliament, potentially breaching the ministerial code.

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree that hiding the true cost of HS2 would be an outrageous breach of the ministerial code? Will he confirm if this occurred?

Answer from Mark Harper

I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his position and note that I was not in Government at the time mentioned. All ministerial colleagues are well aware of their responsibilities under the code.

Not addressed: The question about breach is completely avoided by changing subject.

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Q7 Gavin Newlands SNP
Transport
Context

The Network North plans raise concerns about the government's commitment to upgrading the West Coast Main Line north of Crewe, as recommended by the 'Union Connectivity Review'. The review suggests investing in this area to better utilise HS2 for improved Scotland-England connectivity.

Question

Many of us question this Government's moral compass, but the Network North plans give rise to concerns about their actual compass, with the provisions for Plymouth and Bristol. The first recommendation in the 'Union Connectivity Review' backed investing in the West Coast Main Line north of Crewe to properly use HS2 and its faster journey times and capacity to serve connectivity between Scotland and England. Yet Network North justifies continuing with HS2 phase 1 as it provides the most effective solution to…constraints on the congested southern end of the West Coast Main Line. So when will the Secretary of State deliver the upgrades north of Crewe to unblock the bottleneck to the Scottish economy and that of the north of England, including Chorley?

Answer from Mark Harper

The hon. Gentleman will know that we have made it clear that we are going to make sure that high-speed trains can still continue past Birmingham on to the west coast main line. We have already had a debate in this House, and I believe we had this debate at length when I made my statement after the House returned last week, about the capacity on the west coast main line. The southern section is the most congested part, which is why we are continuing with phase 1. There is a debate to be had and people can have different views about where demand will go over the next 20 years. The view we have taken is that the priority is to focus on the transport needs of people now—[Interruption.] Well, in the north of England we are reinvesting £20 billion of the £36 billion we have saved, so we are putting the money where it would have been invested but on transport projects that are more relevant to people's everyday needs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific commitment to deliver upgrades north of Crewe was not addressed

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