Notwithstanding my successful resurrection from memory of the GREP function in my text editor (see Datafest-2013 for details) and the glorious time savings this produces considering the number of links generated (yes I think it was 1432) it was nevertheless time to have a word with myself. This fiddling with data around the margins of the study must stop!
But before then here is a temporary resting place to catch my breath before getting back into the parliamentary (af)fray.
Below is the latest output from the data described and listed in that earlier post. This new list was created with the application of a bit more grepping and a fair amount of excelling to drag the relevant items into a usable structure. There are still some gaps where I’ve not followed up links to written answers or statements in the Commons. These gaps are a legacy from some initial, incorrect, assumptions I’d made about the relevance of these items based on how the URL was constructed in the Hansard dataset. Note to self: never make assumptions based on URLs.
I’ve given each item a unique reference number so you can see that the series starts at 1097 and ends at 1240. A mere 244 items to consider and this will drop down further as the chaff of index pages is gently blown off the page. This takes us from the initial reading of the HS2 (Preparation) Bill on 26th June 2013 to the final notice of its Royal Assent on 21st November of the same year.
Parliament is ostensibly a formal place to be. The structured turn-taking of participants in debates is reflected in the structured passage of legislation through the debating chambers. But the limits of this structure are of course open to interpretation and HS2 pops up in many places.
In debates about itself (of course) and on railways, transport and infrastructure in general (naturally). It’s one of the bills on the finance bill agenda (it’s an expensive piece of kit but we can afford it) but it also turns up in relation to the recession (it’s an expensive piece of kit – can we afford it?). It turns up already in the geographical regions where it is due to be built (Staffordshire hospitals) and also where it isn’t (Wales and Scotland are good examples here – it seems that HS2 is a good test for the scope of the Barnett Consequentials) and in places where it should but can’t or won’t (Scotland again but also St Pancras, Stratford and Heathrow).
It plays a part in debates about lobbying (its contentious and some local authorities are actively petitioning against it – will forthcoming legislation to curb lobbying prevent this freedom of speech?) and, in a similar vein, in a debate about anti-social behaviour (where anti-fracking, anti-HS2, gay rights groups and the Countryside Alliance may tempt authorities into invoking injunctions to prevent nuisance and annoyance).
It also comes in handy during Prime Minister’s Question time when an absent shadow chancellor is presumably “sorting out Labour’s HS2 policy”), as an excuse for lateness (unfortunate for a train – “sorry I was moving amendments to the High Speed Rail Bill”) and as a potential distraction from some of the more urgent jobs in hand (such as dealing with excrement on the line).
All of these points are on the margins of the study but all contribute to a wider picture of the proceedings where it looks as though infrastructure debate can operate as a piece of infrastructure in its own right.
244 references to HS2 and HSR in Hansard between 26th June 2013 and 21st November 2013:
House of Commons Second reading
26-Jun-13 :
Preparation Bill second reading
[ 00001097 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Second reading
26-Jun-13 :
Preparation Bill second reading
[ 00001098 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Second reading
26-Jun-13 :
Preparation Bill second reading
[ 00001099 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Index
26-Jun-13 :
[ 00001100 – HSR ]
House of Lords Statement
26-Jun-13 : Column 746
Spending review
We are already massively expanding investment on major road schemes, but we will do more. We are announcing the largest programme of investment in our roads for half a century. We have already expanded our investment in the railways, but we will do more. We are committing to the largest investment in our railways since the Victorian age, and with the legislation before this House today, we should give the green light to HS2, which will provide a huge boost to the north of England and a transformation of the economic geography of this country. Here in London, we are digging Crossrail, the largest urban infrastructure project in Europe, but we will do more. We are looking now at the case for Crossrail 2, linking London from north to south. We are going to give the mayor almost £9 billion pounds of capital spending and additional financing power to the end of this decade.
[ 00001101 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Written answer
26-Jun-13 : Column WA154
Railways: Rolling Stock Questions
[ 00001102 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Adjournment Debate
27-Jun-13 : Column 154WH
Air Transport (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland will obviously not benefit directly from high-speed rail. In case the Minister does not already know, I voted in favour of high-speed rail, which I hope will make him slightly more sympathetic to my other points.
[ 00001103 – HSR ]
House of Commons Debate
27-Jun-13 : Column 449-477
east coast; London; investing in Britain’s future;
Eleven references
[ 00001104 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Statement
27-Jun-13 : Column 873
Future Investment Statement: Adonis on speed
Lord Adonis: On HS2, the plan for which I published three years and three months ago, can the Minister tell us why this is moving ahead at a snail’s pace? Why is there still no Bill to grant planning powers for the first London-to-Birmingham section of the line, and do the Government still stand by their pledge in 2010 to enact such a Bill by 2015, something which is now an absolute impossibility given the hybrid Bill procedure? The only thing high speed about the Government’s infrastructure delivery is the speed at which Ministers read out long lists unrelated to real projects being delivered in the real world.
[ 00001105 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
01-Jul-13 :
[ 00001106 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Adjournment Debate
02-Jul-13 : Column 232WH
Recession (Standards of Living)
I have raised my objections to high-speed rail elsewhere, so I will not get into that today. After a previous Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), described high-speed rail as “a rich man’s toy”, I have not been assured that we will not see transport costs rise even further to pay for high-speed rail. Travel costs do not appear to be a real concern for the Government.
[ 00001107 – HSR ]
House of Lords Written answer
02-Jul-13 : Column WA205
Railways: High Speed 2; Railways: High Speed Rail Programme Board
Questions
[ 00001108 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Adjournment Debate
03-Jul-13 : Column 241WH – 263WH
High Speed 2 (Ancient Woodlands)
Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): I am grateful to have secured this important debate
[ 00001109 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Adjournment Debate
03-Jul-13 : Column 304WH
Disabled Access (Train Stations)
I understand that that money is now almost exclusively spent on access improvements. We heard mention of High Speed 2, and I want to make it clear that all new stations on the HS2 route or anywhere else—we are busy opening new stations under the new stations fund and the local sustainable transport fund—will be fully accessible.
[ 00001110 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
03-Jul-13 : Column 906
Spending review
Mr Llwyd: The IMF—the high priests of austerity—said that the Government should cut less and start spending more on infrastructure projects. The re-announcement of HS2 last week was sort of welcome, but the cost has gone up to £50 billion. Is the Secretary of State satisfied that Wales will not be given the £2.5 billion consequential? Mr Jones: HS2 is a United Kingdom project and both north and mid-Wales will benefit from it. I know that the right hon. Gentleman uses the north Wales line regularly, so I presume that he will support our campaign for electrification of that route.
[ 00001111 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
03-Jul-13 : Column 1007
Rail 2020
Kelvin Hopkins: There is also a need to invest in infrastructure. We are talking about “Rail 2020”, not longer-term investments in things such as HS2, which we debated only last week. That is all years away—it might even be parked in a siding, which I would not object to either, although that is another view.
[ 00001112 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Short debate
03-Jul-13 : Column 1275
London Finance Commission: Raising the Capital
Baroness Hamwee: What is good for London tends to be good for the UK as a whole because of London’s role in the wider economy. Knowing of the debate that is going on about HS2, I rather tremble about venturing that way, but, as regards infrastructure, one has only to ask not just any Londoner and not just any visitor but any company considering locating here.
[ 00001113 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Grand Committee
03-Jul-13 : Column GC422
Government Spending Review 2013
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The rail investment, which has already begun with Network Rail, marks a period of greater investment than anything since the Victorian times, and of course we have also put a comprehensive budget in place for HS2. Baroness Noakes: The benefit/cost ratio for the HS2 project was already low by transport standards and now looks to be completely bust. Even the CBI, usually a cheerleader for infrastructure projects, has called for a rethink. Today is not the day to debate HS2 itself, but these developments remind us that public sector infrastructure is not the panacea that some would claim for it and it does not unambiguously benefit the economy.
[ 00001114 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Adjournment Debate
04-Jul-13 : Column 323WH
Post-2015 Development Goals
We spend £11 billion or £11.5 billion in aid, but in one day last week the potential cost of HS2 went up by almost that amount. That is what I mean when I talk about being able to help our own people who need it and people abroad who are dying of diseases and malnutrition. A world of plenty that throws food away as we do should be ashamed of that, and I am pleased that we are, at last, tackling the problem as seriously as we should.
[ 00001115 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
04-Jul-13 : Column 1165
Stafford Hospital adjournment
Jeremy Lefroy: I would like to place on record my thanks to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Joan Walley) for her co-operation on this issue. She has really been of great help. As I was saying, the national Government have a vital role to play in co-operation. Well distributed emergency and acute care is part of our national health infrastructure; it cannot be left entirely to local or even regional bodies to determine what is provided. My constituency and those of my hon. Friends the Members for Stone, for Cannock Chase and for South Staffordshire host the M6, the M6 toll road and both routes of the west coast main line and are also scheduled to host HS2. Stafford’s critical care unit provides a value supplement to the larger ones in Stoke, Wolverhampton and Walsall, in case they are under great pressure. There is a strong argument for such vital infrastructure to be funded nationally rather than being dependent on local CCGs, which, in the case of those in South Staffordshire, the Government have recognised receive considerably less than their fair funding share.
[ 00001116 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
04-Jul-13 :
[ 00001117 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
05-Jul-13 :
[ 00001118 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written statements index
09-Jul-13 :
[ 00001119 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Ministerial Statement
09-Jul-13 : Column 13WS
I can announce to the House today my decisions regarding safeguarding phase one of HS2—the route between London and Birmingham.
[ 00001120 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Ministerial Statement
09-Jul-13 : Column WS15
HS2 safeguarding
From House of Commons
[ 00001121 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
10-Jul-13 :
[ 00001122 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Grand Committee
10-Jul-13 : Column GC98
Public Bodies (Abolition of BRB (Residuary) Limited) Order 2013
Lord Rosser: whether we need a separate company to deliver HS2 when we already have Network Rail, which is responsible for rail infrastructure?
[ 00001123 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
11-Jul-13 :
[ 00001124 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Motion to take Note
11-Jul-13 : Column 445
Legal Aid
Baroness Deech: Of course the Government need to save money. Here we are talking about £220 million a year, although some say that the sum does not take account of recent falls in the outlay on legal aid. This sum pales when one thinks of, say, expenditure of taxpayers’ money on council credit cards and failed NHS IT systems, or Apple and Vodafone not paying tax. Shave a little off HS2, and we would have it, although the profession has in fact come up with other ways of saving money that would render unnecessary the Ministry of Justice proposals.
[ 00001125 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Question
15-Jul-13 : Column 527
Airports: Passenger Numbers: Question
Earl Attlee: My Lords, I can assure the noble Lord that the Airports Commission will take into account the benefits of Birmingham Airport and, in particular, the arrival of HS2, because that will make a big difference. I am certain that that will be within its calculations.
[ 00001126 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Report
15-Jul-13 : Column 594
Local Audit and Accountability Bill [HL]
Will the local authorities on the line of HS2 be allowed to express a view—again, I suspect that it is likely to be an all-party view as well as the view of an overwhelming majority of residents in that area—which may not comply with government policy or with views that I personally hold, although that is not material?
[ 00001127 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Written answer
15-Jul-13 : Column WA98
Railways: High Speed 2
Asked by Lord Berkeley To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HS2 has established a station choice panel; and, if so, who are the members.[HL1401] Earl Attlee: The Government has not established a station choice panel for High Speed 2.
[ 00001128 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Written answer
16-Jul-13 : Column WA113
tilting trains
Asked by Lord Clark of Windermere To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans there are to run tilting trains on HS2.[HL1530]
[ 00001129 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
17-Jul-13 : Column 1094
PMQT
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) (Con): While still hoping that the Prime Minister will agree with the CBI and me and withdraw support for HS2, he will remember last November giving me an undertaking that people disrupted by this project would be fairly and generously compensated. Is he aware that on phase 1, HS2 Ltd has not yet rerun the basic consultation on compensation, and on current plans will not do so for two or three months? Will he please intervene and speed up this process before those constituents, and others whose lives are affected, are totally ruined by this flawed project? The Prime Minister: My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this matter. We will be setting out further consultation later this year, as we have previously announced. We are committed to a very generous and fair compensation scheme. Matters relating to compensation are very important, which is why we have to consider them carefully and make sure that we get the decisions right. My right hon. Friend the Transport Secretary will be happy to meet her and discuss her constituents’ concerns.
[ 00001130 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
17-Jul-13 :
[ 00001131 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Ministerial Statement
17-Jul-13 :
[ 00001132 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written statements index
17-Jul-13 :
[ 00001133 – HSR ]
House of Lords Ministerial Statement
17-Jul-13 : Column WS129
Railways: High Speed 2 Statement Phase 2 consultation
Earl Attlee: My Right Honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Patrick McLoughlin) has made the following Ministerial Statement. Today I am beginning a period of public consultation on the proposed route for Phase Two.
[ 00001134 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
18-Jul-13 : Column 1308
Business innovation and skills – supply chains
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab/Co-op): One of the biggest infrastructure projects in this country over the next 20 years will be the construction of High Speed 2. That, through the supply chain, has potential benefits for businesses and workers not just along the route of HS2, but throughout the entire UK. What steps is the Department taking to engage in discussion with the Department for Transport to ensure that those supply chain benefits are indeed available throughout the entire UK? Matthew Hancock: There are continual discussions between the Department and the Department for Transport about making sure that great benefits accrue not only when we build important infrastructure, but during its construction. We must ensure that there is good value for money, but value for money should be considered in the broadest possible sense.
[ 00001135 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
18-Jul-13 :
[ 00001136 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Ministerial Statement
18-Jul-13 :
[ 00001137 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Motion to take Note
18-Jul-13 : Column 895
Economic Prosperity and Employment
Lord Bhattacharyya: We have already heard about the need for infrastructure spending as a driver for growth and I strongly support projects such as HS2. A single driver such as HS2 will create not only a different mindset among industrialists throughout the world but also employment.
[ 00001138 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Motion to take Note
18-Jul-13 : Column 918
Economic Prosperity and Employment
I share the support of the noble Lord, Lord Bhattacharyya, for HS2.
[ 00001139 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Ministerial Statement
18-Jul-13 : Column WS146
Railways: Intercity Express Programme
This highlights the Government’s commitment to infrastructure, to rail, to British manufacturing and to the strategy of growing and protecting the key intercity rail markets in readiness for HS2.
[ 00001140 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Written answer
18-Jul-13 : Column WA148
tilting trains
Asked by Lord Clark of Windermere To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated journey time from Euston to Glasgow using non-tilting trains to Birmingham and then on the non-high speed line northwards; and what is the present fastest journey time from Euston to Glasgow.[HL1532]
[ 00001141 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Written answer
25-Jul-13 :
[ 00001142 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Written answer
29-Aug-13 :
[ 00001143 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
02-Sep-13 : Column 85
Cycling
Dr Sarah Wollaston (Totnes) (Con): The health economic assessment tool, or HEAT, which is adopted by the World Health Organisation, shows a £4 benefit for every £1 spent. Will the Minister say in his response whether such an assessment has been made for, say, High Speed 2? I cannot help thinking that we would leave a far happier, more lasting and healthier legacy for Britain if we spent just a fraction of what we are spending on HS2 on this issue—or possibly even on both.
[ 00001144 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
02-Sep-13 : Column 131
Cycling
Norman Baker: We are looking at the feasibility of a new national cycleway broadly to follow the HS2 corridor, which would link people, communities and local stations to the countryside and tourist attractions and benefit those living along the corridor. We are looking for these opportunities to improve cycling.
[ 00001145 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
02-Sep-13 :
[ 00001146 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
02-Sep-13 :
[ 00001147 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
03-Sep-13 : Column 169
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
Mrs Gillan: I think every Member would agree with the Leader of the House that we want lobbying to be transparent. As he knows, however, many people all over the country are fighting a project known as HS2, and they firmly believe that the Bill contains provisions that will inhibit their effectiveness in ensuring that their voice is heard by the Government and by Ministers. Will the Leader of the House undertake to give specific consideration to the effect on anti-HS2 campaigns that is apparent from provisions that are already in the Bill, and to ensure, when examining the Bill further, that the voice of those people will never be inhibited by legislation? Mr Lansley: Let me give my right hon. Friend this assurance. I believe that absolutely nothing in this legislation would prevent those who campaign on issues relating to the High Speed 2 rail route from making their case as forcefully as they wish. However, if at the time of an election they went further and spent money on trying to procure or prevent the election of particular candidates, and if that expenditure exceeded a certain limit, they would quite properly be required, by existing legislation as well as by this Bill, to register and be accountable for it.
[ 00001148 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
03-Sep-13 :
[ 00001149 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
04-Sep-13 :
[ 00001150 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
05-Sep-13 : Column 563
North-East Independent Economic Review report: schools
Mr Kevan Jones (North Durham) (Lab): The report appears to give tentative support for High Speed 2, although it does not actually do so, because it admits that the north-east will benefit the least. That is true: HS2 will be a complete disaster for the north-east of England. We have heard about a wish list of transport projects—including a Teesside metro and others—if HS2 goes ahead, but I would say forget it, as that will not happen. What we need is real investment and increased capacity on the east coast main line. Back in 1980, the then British Rail did an experiment, clearing all traffic off the east coast main line. Journey times from Edinburgh to King’s Cross came down to three hours, and from Newcastle to just over two hours. That is what we have to do—invest in that, not in the vanity project for which this Government have fallen. It was dreamed up by Lord Adonis, who I do not think has ever been elected to anything—apart from when he was milk monitor at school.
[ 00001151 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
05-Sep-13 : Column 482
Business of the House
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): I remind the Leader of the House that since the last time we met here for business questions a report from the Institute of Economic Affairs has estimated the cost of High Speed 2—a cost that started at £10 billion, went up to £32 billion, then £42 billion, and then £50 billion—at £80 billion. It also reflects on the fact that this could be very damaging to all the regional cities of our country. May we have an early debate on this? Mr Lansley: Let me remind the hon. Gentleman that the House is considering the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill, which affords further opportunities to consider this. Having looked at what the Institute of Economic Affairs said, it seemed to be one of those reports where if one makes a series of assumptions one can arrive at any conclusion one likes. My right hon. Friend the Transport Secretary has put some very substantial contingencies into the programme to make sure that we can deliver it within budget.
[ 00001152 – HSR ]
House of Commons Debate
05-Sep-13 : Column 488
Business of the House
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con): When questioned about High Speed 2 on Tuesday, the permanent secretary to the Treasury, Sir Nick Macpherson, told the Treasury Committee that: “There will be opportunities to reassess it” and that the Government “have not signed a blank cheque”. Will the Leader of the House confirm that that is the Government’s view? Mr Lansley: My hon. Friend will be aware that the Secretary of State for Transport will be at the Dispatch Box next Thursday to answer questions. Nobody is writing a blank cheque—that is the whole point. That is why, in the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill, we have clearly set out a budget with contingencies, as people would expect. They expect us to plan, as we did for the Olympics—a good example—to have a clear budget rather than one that keeps moving, and a budget that has sufficient contingency so that the project is entirely deliverable within it.
[ 00001153 – HSR ]
House of Commons Written answer
05-Sep-13 :
[ 00001154 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
06-Sep-13 :
[ 00001155 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
10-Sep-13 : Column 882
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
I wonder how the Bill would affect the pro and anti-HS2 lobbies, the campaign for digital hearing aids, the campaign for the rights of Gurkhas to settle in this country and some of the campaigns run by the Royal British Legion.
[ 00001156 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
10-Sep-13 : Column 920
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
Clause 27 also illustrates a worrying trend on the right in politics—the challenge to the role of charities in the Prime Minister’s big society. Let us take the recent speech by the Justice Secretary, who proposed in an article in the Daily Mail recently that we ought to curtail the use of judicial review because—in his words— “judicial reviews are launched in order to try to disrupt Government policies, such as those initiated by anti-HS2 campaigners or by those who believe it is right that taxpayers’ money should be spent on subsidising people in social housing to keep spare rooms.” More and more, we are seeing challenges to a vibrant civil society—challenges that, if acted on, would contribute to an insulation of Government from the crucial checks and balances needed in a healthy democracy.
[ 00001157 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
10-Sep-13 :
[ 00001158 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
12-Sep-13 : Column 1137
High Speed 2; Transport Infrastructure (North-west England); High Speed 2 (East Midlands); East Coast Main Line (Rolling Stock Procurement);
Susan Elan Jones: France, Germany, Japan and many other countries have benefited hugely from their high-speed rail links, and many of us are fed up with a largely London-based commentariat that is seeking to stop a north-south high-speed rail link for this country, but does the Secretary of State agree that, if we are to build a better consensus, it is extremely important that the budget figures he referred to will be both monitored and met?
[ 00001159 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
12-Sep-13 :
[ 00001160 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
12-Sep-13 :
[ 00001161 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written statements index
12-Sep-13 :
[ 00001162 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Ministerial Statement
12-Sep-13 :
[ 00001163 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
13-Sep-13 :
[ 00001164 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
08-Oct-13 : Column 78
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) (Con): I am following my hon. Friend’s argument closely. Rather than my standing here in the railway interest, I stand in the anti-railway interest in respect of HS2, hoping that the Government will see sense and abandon the project. Will he confirm that there should be nothing in the Bill that would restrict my standing up on behalf of my constituents against HS2, or restrict my constituents in lobbying this place against that project?
[ 00001165 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
08-Oct-13 : Column 89
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
Mrs Gillan: I do not wish to detain the House for long. I agree entirely with my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood). When the Leader of the House responds to the debate and speaks to his amendments, it is very important that he makes it clear that we as MPs are not placing ourselves in any special position other than to represent the interests of others, which is why we have been sent to this place. The two instances that I have raised in interventions are highly personal to me, namely HS2 and the National Autistic Society. When people throughout the country read the HS2 Bill they immediately interpreted it as a drag on their lobbying of Government and on MPs who want to speak against the project. More importantly, we have to make sure that charities and other bodies that seek our help do not misconstrue the situation and think that we will be gagged in any way. This is called the gagging Bill in common parlance, which is why I want to make sure that the Leader of the House gives us a reassurance, as I am sure he will. The one thing I know is that he has been listening very carefully to the cases that have been made across the board. Rather than detain the House any longer, I look forward to receiving the reassurances sought by Government and Opposition Members that the Bill will not inhibit us in any way.
[ 00001166 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
08-Oct-13 :
[ 00001167 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Ministerial Statement
08-Oct-13 : Column WS1
Railways: High Speed 2 Statement: compensation consultation
Earl Attlee: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Transport (Simon Burns) has made the following Ministerial Statement: The Department for Transport is today beginning a period of public consultation on long-term property compensation measures for Phase One of HS2.
[ 00001168 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
09-Oct-13 : Column 145
Wales High Speed Two
Mr Llwyd: With some spending projections for this vanity project topping £80 billion, will the Secretary of State commit to fighting for a Barnett consequential equivalent for Wales, which could be between £3 billion and £4 billion and make a huge difference to the Welsh rail network? Will he join his predecessor, the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), in pleading this case, as reported today in the Western Mail?
[ 00001169 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
09-Oct-13 : Column 209
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
Stephen Twigg: Ros Baston also states: “Campaigns could fall within regulation if they…promote policies which, for whatever reason, are associated with one or more political parties or candidates” and not others “such as housing, welfare, a referendum on EU membership, wind farms or HS2” and “use MPs or candidates as active advocates of their cause”.
[ 00001170 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Written answer
09-Oct-13 :
[ 00001171 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Debate
10-Oct-13 : Column 299
Business of the House: the north-south railway
Mr David Heath (Somerton and Frome) (LD): I understand that we are now to call High Speed 2 the north-south railway. Will the Leader of the House find an opportunity for the Secretary of State for Transport to come to the House during the next week to announce that just a fraction of that investment could be spent on providing a barely adequate east-west railway? Mr Lansley: It is a great pleasure to have my hon. Friend here to ask a question. He was a distinguished occupant of the post of Deputy Leader of the House, and we thank him for that and for his work in his subsequent responsibilities related to farming. Over the next few years, up to about 2020, there will be much larger investment elsewhere in Network Rail than in HS2. It is not absorbing resources that would otherwise be available for the rest of the network. On the contrary, we have among the largest ever investment programmes elsewhere in the rail system, and rightly so. Just as HS2 will meet clear north-south capacity requirements, we need other investment to meet capacity needs elsewhere.
[ 00001172 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Statements index
10-Oct-13 :
[ 00001173 – HS2 ]
House of Commons Ministerial Statement
10-Oct-13 :
[ 00001174 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Grand Committee
10-Oct-13 : Column GC109
Railways: East Anglia Network
Lord Marlesford: Well, it wants to have a new long-term target, maybe 50%, and in my view let us forget about HS2.
[ 00001175 – HS2 ]
House of Lords Ministerial Statement
10-Oct-13 : Column WS45
Railways: HS2 Ltd Statement: revised framework document; new chair
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): My Right Honourable friend, the Secretary of State for Transport (Patrick McLoughlin), has made the following Ministerial Statement: I am announcing the appointment of Sir David Higgins as Chair of HS2 Ltd. Sir David will be taking over the role from the current Chair, Sir Doug Oakervee, as of January next year. A revised HS2 Ltd framework document which sets out the governance and sponsorship arrangements between the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd has been published. Copies of the document will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Any future revision to the document will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The document is available online at https://www. gov.uk/government/policies/developing-a-new-high-speed-rail-network and http://hs2.org.uk/
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House of Commons Written answer
14-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Written answer
14-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Debate
15-Oct-13 : Column 591
Deputy Prime Minister Questions: healing
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): Has the Deputy Prime Minister seen the recent research that shows that the High Speed 2 rail line, rather than bringing strength and resurrecting the cities of the midlands and the north, will mean that more power will be sucked back to London and the south-east? The Deputy Prime Minister: I find such research utterly specious. I wish the Labour party would decide whether it is for or against HS2. It is betraying the north of England and the great cities of the north by being so equivocal about HS2. In my view that is the most important infrastructure projects for this country’s future and it will play a crucial role in healing the long, long divide that has existed between the north and the south of our country.
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House of Commons Written answer
16-Oct-13 :
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House of Lords Short debate
16-Oct-13 : Column 617
Care Bill [HL]
If the Government railroad through their ill thought-out plans—in a sort of HS2 of the criminal justice world—it will be because they put ideology before criminology in an area where public safety should be paramount.
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House of Commons Debate
17-Oct-13 : Column 939
Defence reforms: charity starts at home
Furthermore, projects such as HS2, which is very controversial, will cost billions of pounds, and, dare I say it, there is the old elephant in the room, the EU. Charity starts at home, especially in austere times.
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House of Commons Debate
17-Oct-13 : Column 896
Business of the House
Thursday 31 October—Remaining stages of the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill.
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House of Commons Written answer
17-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Written answer
18-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Written answer
21-Oct-13 :
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House of Lords Written answer
21-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Written answer
22-Oct-13 :
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House of Lords Second reading
22-Oct-13 : Column 897
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
It misses most lobbyists—HS2, Heathrow, the trade associations, the ABI, the BBA, British Gas, npower and the pharmaceutical, defence, tobacco and sugar manufacturers—as they all have in-house lobbyists; and it misses most of those being lobbied.
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House of Lords Second reading
22-Oct-13 : Column 938
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
Let us suppose that a local action group has formed to oppose the closure of a local hospital in the constituency or to support or oppose HS2 or fracking. Expenditure on relevant activities, such as advocating the views of the group, would be controlled expenditure if those views were opposed by one candidate but supported by another.
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House of Lords Second reading
22-Oct-13 : Column 992
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill
I referred to the situation where a local action group had a particular interest—for example, against the closure of a hospital or against, or in favour of, HS2, or other environmental situations.
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House of Lords Written answer
22-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Debate
24-Oct-13 : Column 417
Business of the House
Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View) (Lab): My constituents are getting angry and frustrated about the rocketing cost of High Speed 2. At a time when we are expecting winter weather and more flooding, may we have a statement from the Secretary of State for Transport on what he is doing to ensure that the line between Penzance and London is resilient in the face of floods and can be kept open beyond Exeter? Tom Brake: I assure the hon. Lady that the cost controls around HS2 are very firm. This substantial and important project is going to provide the biggest boost to our rail network since the Victorian era. On the specific issue about her locality, the Government have set aside substantial investment to ensure that other projects around the country are delivered. She may wish to raise the matter at Transport questions on 7 November.
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House of Commons Debate
24-Oct-13 : Column 513
Aviation strategy
I tell my constituents who occasionally ask, “Should we be spending all this money on HS2?” that when I hear that HS2 would bring Birmingham airport within 36 minutes of London, my eyes water because it is an average of 47 minutes from Stansted airport into London.
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House of Commons Debate
24-Oct-13 : Column 540
Aviation strategy
I still do not understand why so many politicians—this includes the last Labour Government—are mesmerised by the airports and airline industry, which are simply looking after their commercial advantage. That has happened to such an extent that the Conservatives in opposition were saying that HS2 should go via Heathrow. That was another mad suggestion, which slowed down high-speed rail, but it has now been abandoned.
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House of Commons Written answer
24-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Statements index
24-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Ministerial Statement
24-Oct-13 :
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House of Lords Written answer
25-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Debate
28-Oct-13 : Column 661
EU Council: presumably he is sorting out Labour’s HS2 policy
As late as June this year, the shadow Chancellor, who is not in his place — presumably he is sorting out Labour’s HS2 policy — said that we would choke off growth, and yet the truth is that this year we are forecast to grow more than twice as fast as Germany. Those are the results we are getting both here and in Europe.
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House of Commons Debate
28-Oct-13 : Column 687
Local Audit and Accountability Bill [Lords]
Moving from the fanciful to the serious, the LGA has taken independent legal advice on clause 38, and Sir Merrick Cockell says that it “confirms our fears that a government could hand power to one individual in Whitehall to restrict councils from campaigning on important issues such as HS2 or hospital closures if they so wish.”
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House of Commons Debate
28-Oct-13 : Column 726
Local Audit and Accountability Bill [Lords]
There have been exaggerated claims that provisions on the code will lead to central Government clamping down on, for instance, HS2 campaigning, which has been mentioned. That is nonsense. Councillors are free to campaign on behalf of their constituents. Indeed, the Government legislated in the Localism Act 2011 to give councillors the freedom to campaign.
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House of Commons Written answer
28-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Written answer
29-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Statements index
29-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Ministerial Statement
29-Oct-13 :
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House of Lords Ministerial Statement
29-Oct-13 : Column WS131
Railways: High Speed 2 Statement
The Government has today (29 October 2013) published the Strategic Case for HS2, an updated Economic Case and other supporting documents, including a technical report into possible alternatives to HS2 by Atkins and Network Rail.
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House of Commons Debate
30-Oct-13 : Column 913 – 914
PMQT
The Prime Minister: I will tell you what is weak: being too weak to stand up and admit to economic failures; being too weak to stand up to Len McCluskey, who tried to wreck Scotland’s petrochemical industry; and being too weak to stand up to the shadow Chancellor on HS2—[Interruption.] Mr Speaker: Order. Mr Gwynne, recover your composure man. You are wholly out of control. The Prime Minister: Let us just examine what has happened on HS2 this week: the shadow Chancellor has been touring the radio studios, telling everyone it will not go ahead; and Labour local authority leaders have been begging the Leader of the Opposition to stand up for this infrastructure scheme. And what has he done? He has cowered in his office, too weak to make a decision. To put it another way: Britain deserves better than that lot. The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend makes a very good point. The previous Government did just 9 miles of electrification in 13 years, an absolutely pathetic record, whereas we are putting £1 billion into modernising railways in the north of England. Let us look again at HS2: we all know we need cross-party agreement to make that important infrastructure scheme go ahead. What a pathetic spectacle we have seen this week. One minute the Opposition are for it, then they are against it, and the Leader of the Opposition is too weak to make a decision.
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House of Commons Written answer
30-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Adjournment Debate
31-Oct-13 : Column 359WH
Backbench business
I want to run through several practical suggestions proposed by some independent bodies. I have been moving amendments to the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill, so I came late to this debate; I am sorry if others have already mentioned them.
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House of Commons Third reading
31-Oct-13 : Column 1112
High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill: consideration of bill
Consideration of Bill, as amended in the Public Bill Committee
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House of Commons Third reading
31-Oct-13 : Column 1132
High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill: consideration of bill
Consideration of Bill, as amended in the Public Bill Committee
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House of Commons Third reading
31-Oct-13 : Column 1172
High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill: third reading
Third reading
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House of Commons Written answer
31-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Debates index
31-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Written answer
31-Oct-13 :
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House of Commons Debate
01-Nov-13 : Column 1229
Apprenticeships and Skills (Public Procurement Contracts) Bill
Does the hon. Gentleman envisage a situation in which the number of apprenticeships that need to be taken on is pro rata to the size of the contract? For example, if there is a £1 million contract, the expectation might be that the contractor takes on at least one apprentice; if there is a £2 million contract, the expectation is of two apprenticeships; and if it is £5 million, there will be five apprentices; and so on. Perhaps the contract will be worth £10 billion—it could be the contract for high-speed rail. Is he saying that it is fine if that contractor takes on only one apprentice because it ticks the box, or does he believe that the value of the contract should be reflected in the number of apprentices taken on? I would be interested to know his views on that.
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House of Commons Written answer
01-Nov-13 :
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House of Commons Debate
04-Nov-13 : Column 71
National Insurance Contributions Bill
Finally, we should not lose sight of the big projects that the Government must back, including those that will not benefit us directly in this Parliament but are important for the next 10 to 20 years—major infrastructure projects like high-speed rail or investment in electricity power generation. Such projects are vital for our future competitiveness. We have sometimes looked at other countries and seen how their infrastructure has helped them to compete. We have the tax and investment policies, ideas and people to compete, but we must ensure that we invest now in the big infrastructure projects we need to help those people grow in future.
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House of Commons Written answer
04-Nov-13 :
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House of Lords Written answer
04-Nov-13 :
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House of Commons Debate
05-Nov-13 : Column 109
Treasury: infrastructure
The project is needed to promote growth, and connectivity outside London. I agree with that, and so should they.
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House of Commons Written answer
05-Nov-13 :
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House of Commons Ministerial Statement
05-Nov-13 :
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House of Commons Written answer
06-Nov-13 :
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House of Commons Debate
07-Nov-13 : Column 394
Transport: High Speed 2; Freight;
mitigation
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House of Commons Written answer
07-Nov-13 :
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House of Lords Business
07-Nov-13 :
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House of Commons Written answer
11-Nov-13 :
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House of Commons Adjournment Debate
12-Nov-13 : Column 197WH
East Coast Main Line: bright shiny railway
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) (Con): I have been listening carefully to the hon. Lady, but would she care to speculate on whether the very investment that she and her colleagues are looking for in the east coast main line could be diminished once the Government get their way on HS2? Does she share the fear that such vast amounts will go into this bright, shiny new railway that, as in France, the existing lines might fail to get the investment that she and her colleagues desperately want? Sheila Gilmore: I think the right hon. Lady knows that I do not share her views on this matter. We should not cast one railway line against another, because one of the advantages of HS2 is that it provides an opportunity to improve some of the other services, not least by dealing with the capacity question.
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House of Commons Written answer
12-Nov-13 :
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House of Lords Question
12-Nov-13 : Column 613
Railways: British Rail Question: excrement
Baroness Wilcox (Con): While I am delighted to travel by rail most of the time, all the way down to the West Country, I am very sorry to see, after all these years since 5 November 1993, that raw sewage is still going out on to the lines. Before we rush forward to HS2—to which I am looking forward enormously—I urge our new Minister to think about the men working on the lines and in the stations who have to deal with this excrement.
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House of Commons Written answer
18-Nov-13 :
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House of Lords Committee
18-Nov-13 : Column 731
Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill
The present Clause 1 has united religious groups concerned with street preachers, children’s groups concerned about playground noise, and protest groups concerned that the temptation to seek IPNAs against inconvenient protesters, whether they be anti-frackers, anti-HS2ers, gay rights groups, Occupy or even the Countryside Alliance—in which I have an interest—will prove irresistible to people in authority.
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House of Commons Written answer
19-Nov-13 :
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House of Lords Second reading
19-Nov-13 : Column 907 – 952
High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill: second reading
Second Reading (and remaining stages)
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House of Lords Third reading
19-Nov-13 :
High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill: second reading
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House of Commons Royal Assent
21-Nov-13 : Column 1441
High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013: Royal Assent
Royal Assent
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House of Commons Written answer
21-Nov-13 :
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House of Lords Royal Assent
21-Nov-13 :
High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill: Royal Assent
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