Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of what the expenditure on HS2 could otherwise have been spent on; and whether any such assessment included consideration of the number of affordable homes which could be built with the equivalent funds.

The Government is committed to delivering value for taxpayers’ money and all decisions on spending take account of a range of factors including costs, benefits, and alternatives.

The Prime Minister has now confirmed that the Government will proceed with HS2 to deliver essential North-South connectivity, greater capacity, and shorter journey times. Investment in infrastructure will level up opportunity and connectivity across the country.

The Government is also committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and has made £9bn available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 and in 2018 announced an additional £2bn beyond that. In the manifesto the government committed to renewing the Affordable Homes Programme. In 18/19, 57,485 affordable homes were completed in England, up 22% on the previous year.