Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the justification under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the delay in providing a PwC Report on the comparative costs of developing and constructing high speed rail lines in Europe and elsewhere, requested on 30 November 2017.
The PWC report on the comparative costs of developing and constructing high speed lines in Europe and elsewhere was withheld under section 22 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is intended for future publication. In applying this exemption we had to balance complex public interest consideration in withholding or disclosing the report. We found the balance to be in favour of withholding at that time and that remains our position.
I can reaffirm that HS2 Ltd intend to publish this report in the coming months.