Lord Framlingham

The UK government is not currently undertaking any estimates of the demand for atmospheric carbon dioxide for the UK’s trees. However statistics published on behalf of the government by Forest Research estimate that the amount of carbon stored in UK forests is currently the equivalent of approximately 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

The current global carbon dioxide concentration is measured to be around 420 parts per million (0.042%), higher than at any time over at least the last 2 million years.

The Government is not aware of any cloud seeding operations taking place in the UK and is not deploying such technologies and has no plans to do so. There are no UK or international laws specific to the regulation or governance of weather modification, however, there are many relevant existing legal frameworks and principles .

https://co-create-project.eu/publication/scoping-note-on-applicable-legal-frameworks/

The Government recognises forestry skills as vital for achieving environmental targets, enhancing biodiversity, and supporting the economy through sustainable woodland management and green job creation. The Government is facing a very challenging wider fiscal context. This has meant that Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding which has included not to continue with the Forestry and Arboriculture Training Fund in 2025/26. The Forestry Commission is collecting feedback from course attendees and will be working with key stakeholders throughout 2025/26 to deliver the Forestry Sector Skills Plan. There are new technical, higher technical and professional education routes being developed into the forestry sector, and work is underway to improve links with allied sectors such as arboriculture, agriculture and horticulture.

It is not a condition of receiving compensation for property purchased on the HS2 route that the owner must enter into a non-disclosure agreement.

This government has been clear that the position on HS2 is totally unacceptable for passengers and taxpayers. It is acknowledged by this government and new CEO Mark Wild that the past contractual performance of our delivery partners has failed to meet cost and schedule expectations.

We have taken action to grip the project and tasked Mark Wild to reset the project, including reforming and resetting the relationship with the supply chain, and to deliver Phase 1 safely and at the lowest reasonable cost.

Throughout the development of the HS2 programme there has been engagement with industry, and input sought from wider government stakeholders, to seek to ensure that the commercial approaches and contracts adopted are appropriate for the individual assets being delivered. Consequently, a variety of different contract forms are in use across the HS2 programme including both fixed price and defined cost contracts (similar to cost plus), as well as other contract forms. For example, HS2 Ltd’s Main Works Civils Contracts (MWCC) are defined cost, incentivised, two-stage design and build contracts based on the NEC 3 Option C target cost contract model. Such NEC contracts are in common usage throughout the UK construction industry as they provide flexibility and encourage a collaborative approach.

Notice to Proceed was granted on HS2 Ltd’s Phase One Main Works Contracts in 2020. At that time there was no prospect of determining a reliable fixed price, nor getting the supply chain to agree to such a model given the residual risk. Therefore fixed price contracts were not viewed as viable.

As with all procurement activity on HS2, these contracts were let in line with HS2 Ltd’s governance and assurance requirements which conform with UK procurement law.

This Government inherited an exceptionally bad position at HS2, and has been working hard to grip HS2’s spiralling costs and has tasked HS2 Ltd’s CEO with conducting a comprehensive review of the programme, including assessing the current position on cost and schedule. He will provide advice for government to assess leading to agreeing a reset budget in 2026.

As reported in the last HS2 report to Parliament in December 2024, overall spend to date was £30.2 billion (2019 prices). An update will be provided in the next report to Parliament.

The date for delivery of initial HS2 services between Birmingham Curzon Street and Old Oak Common by 2033 remains, but there are significant pressures on this schedule.

We will report to Parliament once we have agreed a revised estimate for cost and schedule.