HS2: Delay

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle Excerpts

Friday 10th March 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

First, I am sorry the noble Lord is disappointed that I am at the Dispatch Box today. Secondly, I am not a tunnelling expert and cannot give him an answer to that question. On his third point, on whether there has been any project in the world, I could not tell him: as I say, I am not a construction expert, but I am sure that somewhere along the line this must have occurred. As for this project, as I say, the Government are committed to delivering it. He mentioned the fact that delivery to Old Oak Common was perhaps unsatisfactory. Well, it is the first phase. The Government are completely committed to delivering that to Birmingham, and eventually, of course, we will have it to Euston.

[Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)]

My Lords, picking up on the question that was asked and not answered, have the Government made an assessment of which passengers will actually catch the train from Birmingham to Old Oak Common and then get on the Elizabeth line for half an hour? What is the demographic profile?

Turning to the original question I was going to ask, I should perhaps declare my position as a former resident of Somers Town and a campaigner, then, who met HS2 on a number of occasions. Have the Government made an assessment of the massive economic, social and environmental costs of what is already being done between Old Oak Common and Euston? If there is going to be a redesign, what is going to happen to the excess land that has been felled down to ground level? Have the Government thought about what will be done with that land?

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

I suspect that some work has been done in the department on the demographic profile, but I am not in possession of it at the moment. On the redesign and the social environment, again, the Government will probably have looked at this together with the contractors. I cannot be more specific than that, but I imagine that this is quite a high priority.