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 Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (HL425), what is the estimated cost of full electrification of the East West Rail route compared to the lower capital cost of discontinuous electrification.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The costs of electrifying the full East West Rail route versus partial (discontinuous) electrification will depend on a number of factors including the final scope for the railway’s design and location of overhead line equipment. This is yet to be finalised and will be developed in light of feedback received in the East West Rail Company’s latest public consultation, which closed on 9 June this year.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to close the Pullman service on long-distance Great Western Railway trains.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are currently no plans to close the Pullman dining service on Great Western Railway’s long-distance services. Department for Transport officials continue to engage closely with the operator to ensure that passenger expectations are met, including through the provision of high-quality catering options.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to putting HS2 Limited into administration and seeking alternative bids for the construction of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has tasked the new leadership of HS2 Ltd with undertaking a comprehensive reset to ensure the project is delivered in a controlled way and at the lowest reasonable cost. Bringing in alternative delivery arrangements at this stage in the project would add further delay and cost.
It is the Government's long-term aim to see a full new railway between Birmingham to Manchester. This will not be a revival of HS2 and what will be delivered will be considered by a feasibility study working with local partners.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Secretary of State for Transport on 19 May that there has been an “obscene increase in time and costs” associated with the construction of HS2 (HC Deb, col 416), why they are continuing with the construction of HS2; what action they are taking, if any, against those responsible for the increase in time and cost; whether they continue to use the same supply chain, contractors, and consultants; and what action they have taken to explore alternative supply chains, contractors, and consultants.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport provided an update to the House via her latest Parliamentary report on HS2 on 19 May, covering the progress achieved in resetting the programme in recent months. This includes the government's rationale for continuing with the construction of the programme, discussions with main suppliers to manage contracts in taxpayers' interests, and steps taken to strengthen commercial controls and improve delivery performance. This government put HS2 Ltd under new management, which has tightened spending controls with new specialist roles scrutinizing every payment to contractors and suppliers, and is reviewing contracts to ensure the right incentives are in place to drive delivery.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current estimate of the cost to complete the HS2 work between Old Oak Common and Handsacre, including the interchange station on the Great Western Mainline at Old Oak Common.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government announced in May 2026, the expected cost of delivering HS2 is now in the range of £87.7 - 102.7 billion. This is expressed in a mixed price base, including the cash outturn of works to date and the costs of future work excluding inflation.
These ranges cover the cost of the whole programme, stretching from London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street and to the connection to the West Coast Main Line at Handsacre Junction, which will enable HS2 services to continue to the Northwest and Scotland. This includes the cost of HS2 work between Old Oak Common and Handsacre as well as the interchange station at Old Oak Common.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of providing full electrification of the East West Rail route before it opens to traffic, compared with the estimated cost of providing full electrification five years after it opens.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As set out in East West Rail’s Spring 2026 consultation, the Government has committed to the discontinuous electrification of East West Rail, which involves a lower capital cost whilst minimising construction and environmental impacts.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether delivery robots operating on pavements comply with the provisions of the Highways Act 1980.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the current legal framework does not provide the certainty businesses need to invest, which is why we have committed to introduce a new Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle category to regulate micromobility vehicles, including pavement robots, when Parliamentary time allows. This regulation will also be designed to ensure any negative impacts to blind and partially sighted people are mitigated.
The Micromobility Team in the Department for Transport is responsible for pavement robots, and there are currently no staff dedicated to working solely on delivery robot policy, with work on this policy area being conducted as business-as-usual activity by officials with wider responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of delivery robots on blind and partially sighted pedestrians.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the current legal framework does not provide the certainty businesses need to invest, which is why we have committed to introduce a new Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle category to regulate micromobility vehicles, including pavement robots, when Parliamentary time allows. This regulation will also be designed to ensure any negative impacts to blind and partially sighted people are mitigated.
The Micromobility Team in the Department for Transport is responsible for pavement robots, and there are currently no staff dedicated to working solely on delivery robot policy, with work on this policy area being conducted as business-as-usual activity by officials with wider responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether delivery robots constitute (1) carriages, or (2) mechanically propelled vehicles, for the purposes of existing highways legislation.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the current legal framework does not provide the certainty businesses need to invest, which is why we have committed to introduce a new Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle category to regulate micromobility vehicles, including pavement robots, when Parliamentary time allows. This regulation will also be designed to ensure any negative impacts to blind and partially sighted people are mitigated.
The Micromobility Team in the Department for Transport is responsible for pavement robots, and there are currently no staff dedicated to working solely on delivery robot policy, with work on this policy area being conducted as business-as-usual activity by officials with wider responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which local authorities can restrict or prohibit the use of delivery robots on pavements.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the current legal framework does not provide the certainty businesses need to invest, which is why we have committed to introduce a new Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle category to regulate micromobility vehicles, including pavement robots, when Parliamentary time allows. This regulation will also be designed to ensure any negative impacts to blind and partially sighted people are mitigated.
The Micromobility Team in the Department for Transport is responsible for pavement robots, and there are currently no staff dedicated to working solely on delivery robot policy, with work on this policy area being conducted as business-as-usual activity by officials with wider responsibilities.