Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many claims for compensation for owners of land and property for the construction of HS2 have yet to be finalised; and what is the total outstanding.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Statutory compensation is payable to eligible businesses and residential owners where part, or all, of their land is directly affected by plans for HS2. A total of 1,357 properties are located in the direct footprint of the railway, railway infrastructure, or related works where statutory compensation is payable.
The Government has introduced a comprehensive package of statutory and non-statutory schemes to support owners of properties impacted by HS2. As at 30 November 2018, at total of £1.95 billion has been paid under these schemes.
The amount of compensation outstanding is dependent on the number of successful claims yet to be made across all three phases of HS2.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many properties have been affected by HS2; and what is the total cost of compensation paid to the owners of those properties.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Statutory compensation is payable to eligible businesses and residential owners where part, or all, of their land is directly affected by plans for HS2. A total of 1,357 properties are located in the direct footprint of the railway, railway infrastructure, or related works where statutory compensation is payable.
The Government has introduced a comprehensive package of statutory and non-statutory schemes to support owners of properties impacted by HS2. As at 30 November 2018, at total of £1.95 billion has been paid under these schemes.
The amount of compensation outstanding is dependent on the number of successful claims yet to be made across all three phases of HS2.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the report on HS2 which was prepared by Sir Jeremy Heywood in 2016.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The report on HS2 prepared by the Cabinet Secretary is known as the Periodic Update and we have already made public the outcomes of this in the Phase 2b Financial Case, published in November 2016.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have finalised plans and construction specifications to accommodate the arrival of HS2 at Euston Station.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
In relation to the design of the tunnel portal and station approaches, where HS2 arrives at Euston, revised proposals have been developed for bringing the HS2 line into Euston via the Camden Cutting as part of the development of the design of the High Speed (London to West Midlands) Act 2017 scheme.
These updated proposals are at an early design stage. The Main Works Civils Contractor appointed for this section of the HS2 route, SCS Railways, are taking the design forward during 2018. SCS Railways are currently reviewing the emerging design and stress testing it against the Environmental Minimum requirements for the scheme.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the effect on HS2 of the failure of Carillion.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
For High Speed Two Ltd, the joint venture contracts involving Carillion were on joint and several liability terms where the contracts are underwritten by all three parties.
This means that the other parties to the contract are obliged to carry out the works in Carillion’s absence.
The transition to a two party joint venture involving Eiffage and Kier has now concluded, and there have been no impacts to delivery.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many HS2 Ltd employees have been made redundant to date; and what has been the total cost.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
To date 87 individuals have been made redundant at HS2 Ltd at a total cost of £2.495m.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to scrap HS2; and if so, on what they intend to spend the money saved.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government is committed to delivering HS2 which remains on track, with strong cross-party support. The case for HS2 rests on strong foundations. It will be the new backbone of our national rail network and will help build an economy that works for all.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the final total cost of HS2.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
At the 2015 Spending Review (SR15), the Government restated the long-term Funding Envelope for delivery of the full HS2 scheme of £55.7bn (Quarter 1 2015 prices), of which £27.18bn has been set for Phase One and £28.55bn for Phase Two.
We are determined to deliver HS2 within its total Funding Envelope of £55.7bn and have set HS2 Ltd cost targets which would deliver the programme below this amount.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of London Plane trees in Camden that will be endangered by the construction of HS2.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HS2 Ltd have set up a Camden specific Tree Panel which includes community and local council representatives. HS2 contractors are required to report to the Panel prior to the removal of any tree and to justify why a tree has to be removed. HS2 Ltd is committed to replace the same number of trees that are lost in the London Borough of Camden.
In terms of specific tree species, such as the London Plane, a detailed understanding will be provided through site surveys. HS2 Ltd have instructed its contractors to undertake such surveys but accurate figures cannot be established until HS2 have completed their detailed design for the works.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to avoid damaging the 63 ancient woodlands that lie on the proposed route of HS2.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HS2 Ltd has sought to avoid ancient woodland wherever practicable and to strike the right balance between the effects on people, the natural environment, engineering requirements and cost. Substantial woodland planting measures are included in our plans on Phase 1 which have been arranged to link neighbouring woodlands and support greater habitat creation. Ancient woodland soils, containing their seeds, spores and bulbs, will be translocated to new woodland creation sites.
The effects on ancient woodland will continue to be reviewed through the detailed design on Phase 1 and will be further supported by an additional £5 million Woodland Fund in addition to HS2’s main landscape and habitat creation programme. An independent Ecology Review Group, members of which include Natural England, local authorities, nature conservation NGOs such as the wildlife and woodland trusts will have regular access to the monitoring outputs from habitat creation sites and will be invited to comment on progress and the requirement for any remedial action. For locations where it is intended to use ancient woodland soils for new woodland planting, monitoring will be undertaken over a 50-year establishment period.