Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to retain passive provision for the HS2 junction north of Birmingham Interchange.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department’s priority is on delivering Phase 1 at the lowest reasonable cost. We continue to review the wider position we inherited on rail infrastructure and will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to retain passive provision for the HS2 junction at Fradley/Streethay.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department’s priority is on delivering Phase 1 at the lowest reasonable cost. We continue to review the wider position we inherited on rail infrastructure and will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that more than ten HS2 services can be accommodated at Euston station when required.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The new HS2 Euston station will consist of 6 platforms, which can support up to 10 HS2 trains per hour. We are considering whether and how to future-proof the station with additional platforms, to accommodate any longer-term expansion.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to renew the land purchase powers contained in the HS2 West Midlands to Crewe hybrid Bill before they expire in February 2026.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I am aware of the limitations on land purchase powers contained in the High Speed Rail (West Midlands to Crewe) Act 2021. This government is carefully reviewing the position it has inherited on HS2 and wider rail infrastructure and I will set out detailed plans in due course.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body will have the directing role in confirming operational timetables exploiting released capacity.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department specifies the services it seeks to procure through its contracts with operators. Trains operate on very restricted infrastructure and timetables must be carefully planned to operate around other services. The scheduling service is conducted by Network Rail. Network Rail is held to account by the Office of Rail and Road.
The Railways Bill consultation proposes that in future Great British Railways will have consolidated accountability for planning the use of its rail network.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether current (a) northbound and (b) southbound calling patterns will be (i) maintained and (ii) increased at (A) Tamworth, (B) Lichfield, (C) Nuneaton, (D) Rugby and (E) Milton Keynes stations following the commencement of HS2 services between London and (1) Liverpool and (2) Manchester via Handsacre.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No decisions have been made on the timetable that will operate when HS2 opens, including for the named stations on the West Coast Main Line. Detailed planning remains underway ahead of government decisions that will be made in due course, informed by consultation.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to permit the earliest possible operation of some HS2 services into the Euston terminus, even on a temporary basis.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is working with key partners to develop affordable, integrated plans for Euston Station, which will comprise the new HS2 station, an upgraded Network Rail station and enhancements to the London Underground station and local transport facilities along with a significant level of development. We will set out more details in due course.
In parallel, HS2 Ltd is progressing with preparations of the Euston Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) at Old Oak Common, with tunnelling scheduled to commence in 2026.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to make train service options for the West Coast Main Line after introduction of HS2 services Old Oak Common to West Coast Main Line locations beyond the West Midlands available for discussion and consultation.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No decisions have been made on the timetable that will operate when HS2 opens. Train service options for HS2 and the broader West Coast Main Line will be made available in due course, and will be informed by consultation.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to make train service options for the West Coast Main Line after introduction of HS2 services Old Oak Common to Birmingham available for discussion and consultation.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No decisions have been made on the timetable that will operate when HS2 opens. Train service options for HS2 and the broader West Coast Main Line will be made available in due course, and will be informed by consultation.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to allow GP practices to claim Employment Allowance.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has not changed the eligibility rules on the Employment Allowance beyond removing the £100k eligibility threshold, so that business size does not dictate whether an employer can benefit from the Employment Allowance.
All the remaining eligibility criteria remain unchanged, including the exclusion of businesses whose work is wholly or mainly public in nature. The eligibility of a specific sector or organisation will depend on the make-up of an individual business's work, and organisations are encouraged to consult HMRC’s detailed guidance.