Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of restoring the twice-hourly train service between Castleton and Manchester following the lifting of covid-19 public health restrictions.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Passengers currently have an hourly service between Manchester and Castleton which increases to two trains per hour during the morning and evening peak. Northern operates on a complex network and like other operators, it has to make difficult decisions to maximise the number of services it can offer to customers whilst maintaining a high-performing railway that people can rely on.
Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the environmental sustainability of all aspects of the High Speed Two project.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Environmental sustainability is embodied in HS2’s strategic goals. All phases of the railway have environmental minimum requirements (EMRs) which set out the government’s high level environmental and sustainability commitments across all aspects of the project. HS2 is critical for the UK’s low carbon transport future; providing a low carbon alternative to road and air travel. HS2 will run highly energy efficient electric trains powered by a grid increasingly using zero carbon sources. As the grid moves to supplying 100% zero carbon energy, journeys on HS2 will also move to zero carbon.
Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of High Speed Two construction waste he plans divert from landfill.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The impacts and effects arising from managing the material from HS2 were set out in the Environmental Statements for Phase 1 (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-documents ) and Phase 2a ( https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-phase-2a-environmental-statement ). These were based on a forecast landfill diversion rate of 90% for construction and demolition material. This forecast rate was based on a review of industry good practice landfill diversion rates achieved on other large-scale infrastructure projects in the UK.
HS2 Ltd has set a performance target of 95% diversion from landfill for construction and demolition material in all of its relevant contracts with suppliers.
Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) recording and (b) preservation of archaeological finds during the construction of High Speed Two.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
During route development, design of the scheme and early construction, HS2 Ltd has sought to avoid and reduce impacts on heritage assets, including archaeological remains. HS2’s historic environment programme employs a wide range of specialists to undertake the historic environment works required. This includes historic environment evaluation, recording and investigation, post-excavation assessment, analysis, archiving and dissemination of the results.
Many exciting discoveries have already been made during excavation works on Phase One and these have been shared with communities close to the line and further afield. The creation of HS2’s historic environment physical and digital archive is an integral part of the lasting legacy of the programme. HS2 Ltd and its supply chain continue to host webinars, provide lectures, and work with communities and academics, in order to deepen our understanding of the history of England.
Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the maximum use of rail freight for moving materials during the construction of High Speed Two.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
HS2 Ltd’s Environmental Statement and Code of Construction practice states that as the ‘Nominated Undertaker’ HS2 Ltd should plan to move as much material as is reasonably practicable by Rail (or Water) before Road.
Joint industry resources (including Network Rail, the Freight Industry, and HS2 Ltd) have collaborated to develop the Materials By Rail strategy and secure every available opportunity to maximise Materials By Rail volumes and accelerate the materials delivery and removals programme.
Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the use of low emission (a) vehicles and (b) machinery during the construction of High Speed Two.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
HS2 Ltd have set a range of engine emission requirements and targets for all construct vehicles and non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) and these can be found in the HS2 Information Paper E31; Air Quality https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/672406/E31_-_Air_Quality_v1.5.pdf
The requirements form part of the HS2 Environmental Minimum Requirements under the Act, and ensure all heavy goods vehicles meet the Euro VI engine emission standard, and all cars and vans meet the Euro 6 diesel / Euro 4 petrol engine emission standards. It also includes ambitious targets for cleaner than Euro VI HGVs and the introduction of Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles, along with carbon dioxide fleet average emissions. HS2 and its suppliers currently have a large range of low emission NRMM on HS2 sites including electric, hybrid, hydrogen and solar.
HS2 Ltd are the first organisation to require NRMM emission standards outside of London. Within London NRMM emission standards surpass the existing Greater London Authority standards. As these standards are Environmental Minimum Requirements, HS2 contractors are encouraged to exceed them.
HS2 Ltd report compliance to these standards regularly to Local Authorities and publish annual summaries in the HS2 Annual Air Quality Report which is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/monitoring-the-environmental-effects-of-hs2
Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many businesses in the North West of England have secured HS2 contracts.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
So far, at least 99 organisations registered in the North West of England have delivered work on HS2 to date. HS2 Ltd recognises the strong capabilities of the supply chain in the North West, especially from a rail, manufacturing and aerospace perspective. It is a region which will play a significant role in the delivery of HS2 and HS2 Ltd looks forward to continuing their programme of engagement to help ensure that businesses across the North West continue to secure HS2 contracts, grow and develop.
Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that businesses in the North West secure HS2 contracts.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
HS2 Ltd has undertaken a comprehensive programme of market engagement since 2013, engaging with over 5,000 businesses of all sizes and types, across all UK regions, to raise awareness of the opportunities available on HS2 and how to access them. This includes a range of engagements specific to the North West where HS2 Ltd has hosted or supported a HS2 supply chain conference in Manchester, two Local Enterprise Partnership events, two UK Northern Powerhouse conferences, a HS2 roadshow event in Liverpool, two Trans-City Rail conferences, two Chambers of Commerce events (South Cheshire and West Cheshire and North Wales), a Sellafield supply chain event, and have a planned Lancashire Chamber of Commerce event.
Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of opportunity the construction of HS2 presents for creating skilled jobs throughout the North.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Providing opportunities for Skills and Employment is one of the seven strategic objectives of HS2. HS2 Ltd’s 2018 Skills, Employment and Education (SEE) Strategy sets out the company’s aim to help the next generation develop the technical skills to not only design and build HS2, but to deliver the project pipeline of the UK’s future infrastructure and leave a lasting skills legacy for the country. Currently around 9000 people are working on HS2 and since Royal Assent in April 2017, over 350 individuals have started an apprenticeship on the project.
Underlying the SEE Strategy were labour and skills forecasting data and analysis which assessed the labour and skills that will be required to deliver the construction and rail engineering elements of the HS2 programme against an assessment of the future availability of those skills. This analysis provided a preliminary assessment of potential mismatches between HS2 labour and skills requirements and their availability. Given the changes to both the HS2 project and also the macroeconomic environment size since 2018, HS2 Ltd is about to begin a reforecasting exercise to update the demand, supply and skills mismatches for HS2. This work is due to be completed by April 2021.