Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the eight month extension for the HS2 civils design may have on the overall construction programme and cost estimate for Phase 1.

HS2 Ltd is the procurement authority for the Main Works Civils contracts and manages the delivery of milestones within the controls set out by the Department in the Development Agreement and the Framework Document. Following consideration of supplier feedback, the HS2 Ltd Board has recently decided to move the date of Notice to Proceed from 1 March 2019 to 1 June 2019 in order to provide suppliers with additional time to optimise their designs.

HS2 Ltd’s latest advice to Government is that Phase One remains on track to deliver HS2 services by 2026 and within the agreed funding envelope, in accordance with the Sponsors’ Requirements as set out in the Development Agreement.