Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 March (HL5813 and HL5815), since HS2 Ltd, Thames Water Utilities Ltd and Bazalgette Tunnel Ltd are all private limited companies, why the information requested is available for HS2 but not the other companies.
HS2 Ltd is funded by the Government, whereas Bazalgette Tunnel Ltd and Thames Water Utilities Ltd are not, and as such, different arrangements apply in respect of the information which the Government can request from them and the extent to which it can be disclosed.
In the particular case of information about CH2M Hill staff referred to in the noble Lord’s previous question (HL5813), this is not required by the Secretary of State to carry out her functions, and Defra therefore does not hold it.