High Speed Two: China

(asked on 21st February 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether funding from the public purse was allocated to the visit to Beijing in April 2018 by Mark Thurston, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd.


Answered by
Andrew Stephenson Portrait
Andrew Stephenson
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 2nd March 2020

Mark Thurston did not visit Beijing in April 2018. In April 2019 Mark Thurston visited Japan, China and Hong Kong to meet with companies responsible for developing and operating high speed networks, hosted by the British Embassy and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and supported by HM Trade Commissioner to China and the Department for International Trade. The purpose of the visit was to gather international best practice of core elements of High Speed Rail projects, such as station design, maintenance and operational processes. The only business expense claimed was Mark Thurston’s international flights. Where travel is for business purposes it is reasonable for it to be covered by HS2 Ltd in line with its published policies. Mark Thurston covered his own internal travel expenses, accommodation, and expenditure for this trip.

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