Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of phase 2a of HS2 on infrastructure contractor workforce levels.

The large majority of jobs on HS2 are currently working on the delivery of Phase 1 and the Prime Minister has confirmed that the government will complete Phase 1 of HS2 between Birmingham and London. The new investment plans outlined in Network North will provide significant opportunities for contractual work, creating job opportunities in a number of sectors across the range of projects in the delivery pipeline.