Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps have been taken by (a) his Department and (b) agencies of his Department to (i) protect and (ii) support hedgehogs since his appointment as a species champion for the native hedgehog.

HS2 Ltd has worked closely with the Royal Parks and the Zoological Society for London on the development of an Ecological Mitigation Plan with the aim of lessening the impact on the local wildlife population. HS2 is the first project of this kind to have developed measures aimed at protecting hedgehogs.

In addition, the Department for Transport is currently exploring the options for a traffic sign to make drivers aware of the presence of hedgehogs and other small animals in the road ahead, in locations where there have been a high number of animal casualties.