Some recent Parliamentary written answers

Q 45041: Jim Cunningham Labour, Coventry South on: 05 September 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total amount paid in compensation to people affected by the High Speed 2 project was in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

A:  Andrew Jones on 12 September 2016
The total amount paid for land and property to people affected by the HS2 project in the last twelve months is £125,953,179 with a further £3,345,403 in compensation payments associated with the statutory blight regime. The combined total expenditure in the past 12 months was £129,298,582.

(The monthly expenditure in the last year is on Hansard here.)

Q 45248: Lilian Greenwood Labour, Nottingham South on: 06 September 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2016 to Question 35329, whether the development of a plan to progress the initial feasibility and business case work for a Euston Station masterplan has been completed.

A:  Andrew Jones on 12 September 2016
Network Rail has been commissioned and is progressing initial feasibility and business case work for its ‘classic’ (conventional) station at Euston. This work is underway, and is scheduled to be concluded in early 2018. In parallel, HS2 Ltd is leading masterplanning work for the entire Euston site, involving all station operators and the local area during 2016 and 2017. The first stage of this process has been planned and is now underway. These processes will run jointly and concurrently, and integrate with plans for HS2 and associated over site development.

Q 43924 Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) on 21 July 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether HS2 Ltd has used (a) InSAR surveys and (b) other survey methods to survey ground movements on the proposed route of phase 2B of HS2 between Crewe and Manchester/Leeds.

A Andrew Jones on 07 September 2016
HS2 Ltd has not commissioned any satellite (InSAR) surveys nor (to date) any purchase of existing/historical data or bespoke analysis of that.

HS2 Ltd has carried out two Lidar surveys of the proposed route of phase 2B of HS2 between Crewe and Manchester, with a view to comparing the two datasets to appraise ground movements in the time between the two surveys. This is work in progress. Other available Lidar data (made available by the Environment Agency) has been used to manually appraise ground movements of specific locations in the saltfield.

Q 44620 Keir Starmer Labour, Holborn and St Pancras on 02 September 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2016 to Question 41593, for what reason HS2 Ltd is supporting a two rather than three railhead option at Euston for the transportation of excavated and construction materials.

A Andrew Jones on 08 September 2016
The decision to pursue a two railhead solution was based on a detailed consideration of the environmental, socio-economic and value for money benefits of that option as compared to the value for money disbenefits of the option that included a third railhead. HS2 will, however, continue to seek ways to mitigate the construction programme impacts and to respond to feedback, which will include exploring, during the detailed design phase, additional and/or alternative opportunities to move material by rail including, but not limited to, the third railhead option.

Q 45120Jim Cunningham Labour, Coventry South
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the total spend on High Speed 2 to date; and if he will make a statement.

A Andrew Jones on 12 September 2016
Since 2009 the Government has spent £1.4bn on the HS2 programme. This covers the period up to and including 2015/16 and includes the costs incurred by HS2 Ltd and Land & Property (L&P) expenditure. Data for 2016/17 is provisional and is currently not included.

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