Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government in which locations on the HS2 route reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete has been (1) specified, or (2) used, in building (a) already completed, or (b) under way.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Survey work is underway. The Government is bringing together the information we hold about the Government estate into one place. This work is being coordinated by the Office for Government Property.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many plots and over what area HS2 Phase One property owners are in dispute with regard to the HS2 Ltd estimated value for severance and injurious affection; and what is the estimated liabilities to settle those disputes.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government does not hold the requested information. Collecting and providing this information would require HS2 Ltd to interrogate every plot of land and advance purchase payment across thousands of files, which could not be done within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many plots and over what area HS2 Phase One property owners have received the 90 per cent payment of the HS2 Ltd estimated value; and what is total cost of those 90 per cent payments.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government does not hold the requested information. Collecting and providing this information would require HS2 Ltd to interrogate every plot of land and advance purchase payment across thousands of files, which could not be done within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many plots and over what area HS2 Phase One property owners have received full and final settlement; and what is the total cost of those full and final settlements.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government does not hold the requested information. Collecting and providing this information would require HS2 Ltd to interrogate every plot of land and advance purchase payment across thousands of files, which could not be done within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many plots and over what area HS2 Phase One property owners have requested advanced payment of compensation.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government does not hold the requested information. Collecting and providing this information would require HS2 Ltd to interrogate every plot of land and advance purchase payment across thousands of files, which could not be done within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Harland and Wolff that they intend to submit a bid to the Council of the Isles of Scilly to compete with the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company for the conditional offer of £48 million from the Levelling Up Fund to the Council for the purchase and operation of new vessels, whether they plan to instruct the Council, if it wishes to proceed with the funding offer, to seek expressions of interest followed by tenders from these companies and other reputable operators.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Levelling Up Fund grant to the Council of the Isles of Scilly is dependent upon obtaining an approved compliant full business case for replacement vessels and harbour works. The council, is considering its options, including an open procurement process through the publication of a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to seek other interested parties. It would be inappropriate for the DfT to comment on the council’s approach at this stage.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many highway authorities have applied to the Department for Transport for civil enforcement of moving traffic offences, as set out in Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004; and how many highway authorities have been granted these powers.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Designation Orders granting powers to civilly enforce contraventions of moving traffic restrictions outside London are being introduced in tranches reflecting applicant local authorities’ different states of readiness. The first Order came into force on 15 July 2022 in respect of 12 local authorities. A second Order is currently before Parliament and is due to come into force on 22 July 2023 in respect of a further 40 local authorities. All applications had to meet a list of prerequisites set by Ministers in statutory guidance.
Subject to approval of the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee, a third Order is planned for early 2024, for which the application deadline is 25 October. No formal applications have yet been received.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the next six-monthly report to Parliament on HS2 will provide information about the scope of delays and relevant cost changes caused by the recent pause in the development and construction of parts of HS2.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department has now published the six-monthly report on 19 June. We are currently assessing the impact of the recent pause in the development and construction of parts of HS2, including any delays and relevant cost changes. While it is too early to provide specific details at this stage, we acknowledge the importance of transparency and accountability in reporting such information to Parliament as soon as reasonably practicable.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 18 May (HL7677), why they have not made reports on HS2 to Parliament every six months; why predictable external factors such as recess and local elections have affected the timing of these reports; and when they expect to publish the next such report.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As I mentioned in my previous response, external factors affected our original plans for an earlier publication of the HS2 Parliamentary Report, which was further delayed as it has taken time to work through the implications of the Spring Budget. We remain committed to transparency and providing timely and accurate updates on HS2, with the next report due for publication imminently.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government why their six-monthly report on HS2 to Parliament, due a year after that dated 16 March 2022, is delayed; and when they expect to publish the next edition.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The last six monthly report on HS2 to Parliament was published in October 2022. April 2023 would have marked the six month point from the previous edition, but this was postponed due to external factors including recess, the pre-local election period and the King’s coronation. We remain committed to providing timely and transparent updates to Parliament and we aim to publish the next edition in the coming weeks.