Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what environmental impact assessment his Department has made of the (a) fuel choices of HS2 Ltd for it's construction sites and (b) use by HS2 Ltd of fossil-based diesel for it's heavy plant and transport.

The HS2 Environmental Statements contain reasonable worst-case assessments of the air quality and carbon impacts of the scheme, using assumptions about emissions that reflect the standards adopted by the project. Controls are in place to ensure that any significant effects reported in the Environmental Statements are not exceeded. Within that framework, actual decisions on fuel purchases for construction sites and vehicles, are taken by contractors rather than HS2 Ltd. HS2 Ltd is, however, running an innovation project to test a range of biofuels. The findings of this project will help establish the benefits provided by such fuels, and in due course be used to inform contractors’ decisions.