Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the cost benefit ratio of (a) HS2 and (b) the Missing Link solution in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

The last business case for HS2 was published in 2017 and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-two-economic-case

It showed that the full network has a benefit to cost ratio of 2.3. This means that for every £1 invested, HS2 will generate more than £2 in economic benefits, constituting high value for money.

The A417 “Missing Link” route options were brought to public consultation in February – March 2018. The two routes taken to consultation had a Value for Money range from low to poor, and Benefit Cost Ratios of 1.04 and 0.68. Highways England are currently undertaking further development of the scheme detail and assessment of the routes’ VfM.