Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Written Answer of the 28 October 2022 to Question 67099 on Department of Health and Social Care: Public Expenditure, what the expected annual expenditure will be on the Major Projects Portfolio projects for the (a) Rapid Charging Fund, (b) Midlands Rail Hub, (c) East Coast Mainline Programme, (d) East Coast Digital Programme, (e) A417 Air Balloon, (f) Lower Thames Crossing, (g) HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg, (h) A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down, (i) Further Electrification of Midland Main Line, (j) East West Rail Configuration State 1, (k) A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet, (l) HS2 Phase 2a, (m) A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening, (n) Transpennine Route Upgrade, (o) A66 Northern Trans-Pennine, (p) HS2 Phase 1, (q) Rail Passenger Services, (r) Crossrail Programme, (s) East West Rail Connection Stage 2 and 3, (t) Midland Main Line Programme, (u) 2nd Generation UK Search and Rescue Aviation and (v) Rail Transformation Programme; and if he will place that information in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The annual expenditures of these 22 major projects for 2021-22 were published on 20 July 2022 with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Annual Report 2021-2022. This data can be found in the accompanying ‘GMPP Government Major Projects Portfolio AR Data March 2022’ document as ‘Financial Year Forecast (£m) (including Non-Government Costs)'. As set out in PQ 68561 it is not currently possible to provide the expected annual expenditures for 2022-23 but these will be published at the appropriate time.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the expected annual expenditure will be on the Major Projects Portfolio projects for the (i) Rapid Charging Fund, (ii) Midlands Rail Hub, (iii) East Coast Mainline Programme, (iv) East Coast Digital Programme, (v) A417 Air Balloon, (vi) Lower Thames Crossing, (vii) HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg, (viii) A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down, (ix) Further Electrification of Midland Main Line (MML3), (x) East West Rail Configuration State 1, (xi) A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet, (xii) HS2 Phase 2a, (xiii) A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening, (xiv) Transpennine Route Upgrade, (xv) A66 Northern Trans-Pennine, (xvi) HS2 Phase 1, (xvii) Rail Passenger Services, (xviii) Crossrail Programme, (xix) East West Rail Connection Stage 2 and 3, (xx) Midland Main Line Programme, (xxi) 2nd Generation UK Search and Rescue Aviation and (xxii) Rail Transformation Programme; and if he will place that information in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The annual expenditures of these 22 major projects for 2021-22 were published on 20 July 2022 with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Annual Report 2021-2022. This data can be found in the accompanying ‘GMPP Government Major Projects Portfolio AR Data March 2022’ document as ‘Financial Year Forecast (£m) (including Non-Government Costs)'. It is not currently possible to provide the expected annual expenditures for 2022-23 but these will be published at the appropriate time.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their infrastructure priorities for the south west of England.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Infrastructure is a top priority for the Government, essential for jobs, growth, and supporting a high quality of life. Over the next five years the public sector will invest more than half a trillion pounds in the UK’s future prosperity, including investing in infrastructure across the UK.
For example, as part of the second Road Investment Strategy, the Government will spend £2.7bn between 2020 and 2025 in the South West. This will help to build the A303 Stonehenge and the A417 Air Balloon. The South West will also benefit from its share of £5 billion to support the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in the most difficult to reach 20% of the country, and of £510 million to support the Shared Rural Network to extend 4G mobile coverage cross the UK.
The Government will further publish a National Infrastructure Strategy, setting out the Government’s long-term ambitions for economic infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect highway improvements to the Air Balloon roundabout in Gloucestershire will be completed.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The A417 missing link between Brockworth and Cowley is an important project to improve safety and air quality and ease congestion in the area. Highways England announced a preferred route for the scheme in March 2019 and is now preparing for statutory consultation later this year ahead of a Development Consent Order planning application. Delivery of this project is subject to confirmation of funding within the second Road Investment Strategy, which will cover the period 2020 to 2025, due to be published later this year.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
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.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
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.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the feasibility studies for the A417 missing link.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Highways England is developing its proposals that consider both the environmental sensitivity of the site and the importance of the route. An options consultation is to take place in the coming months.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on developing a scheme to improve safety and traffic flow on the on the A417 missing link in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Highways England is developing the A417 Air Balloon Roundabout improvement, announced in the £15 billion Road Investment Strategy in December 2014, to be delivered in the second Road Investment Period (2020 – 2025). Development work is underway, and Highways England intends to launch a public consultation on viable options before the end of 2017.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the consultation on the proposed A417 road improvement scheme will open.
Answered by John Hayes
It is expected that public consultation on scheme options for the A417 Air Balloon Roundabout improvement scheme will take place by the end of December 2017.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents have been recorded over the last five years on the area of the A417 in Gloucestershire for which an upgrade is planned in 2020.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Highways England is starting full-scale options work on the A417 Missing Link ‘Air Balloon’ roundabout scheme this financial year (2016/17), with the intention that the scheme will be ready to start construction as early as possible in the next Road Investment Strategy period which starts on 1 April 2020.
A total of 65 personal injury road accidents were reported to the police between 2010 and 2014 in the vicinity of the A417 scheme.
The number of reported personal injury road accidents per year by severity are as follows:
| Fatal | Serious | Slight | Total |
2010 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 16 |
2011 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
2012 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 15 |
2013 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
2014 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 16 |
5yr total | 6 | 8 | 51 | 65 |
Figures for 2015 will be published on 30th June 2016.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on preparation for the expected start of construction works to the A417 Missing Link in Gloucestershire in 2020.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Highways England will start full scale options work on the scheme in financial year 2016/17, with the intention that the scheme will be ready to start construction as early as possible in the next Road Period.