Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 9 November (HL9762), whether they plan to put in place minimum contract arrangements for participation in HS2 construction projects to guarantee British suppliers a share of the economic benefits of HS2; and if not, why not.

There are currently no plans to set a content target for UK companies on HS2. As I set out in my response on 9 November [HL9762], HS2 Ltd has an excellent track record of supporting British businesses; over 2,000 businesses have delivered work so far on the project, 98% of these are UK-based, and 70% are SMEs. The project already has 13,000 workers in the UK employed on it and the construction of Phase One will see HS2 create and sustain a further 22,000 jobs over the coming years, with many more in businesses and factories around the country through an estimated 400,000 supply chain contract opportunities. HS2 Ltd estimate that 95% of those contract opportunities will be won by UK based businesses, with around two thirds being SMEs.