This was sent to Stop HS2 by scrutiny@parliament.uk (Website www.parliament.uk/scrutiny), and we think many of our readers would be interested. Stop HS2 have been invited to give evidence at the session on 9th July: if you send in a submission to the committee, we’d be interested in seeing a copy.
Call for written evidence: High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill
Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Government’s High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill?
If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider this Bill.
Aims of the Bill
HS2 is a £34-£36 billion project to build a high speed rail line from London to Manchester and Leeds, via Birmingham, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Crewe, to begin operation in 2026 and be completed in 2032. It was supported by the Labour Government after 2009 and has had the support of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government since May 2010.
In the 2013 Queen’s Speech the Government announced a ‘paving bill’ to authorise further spending on preparation for the HS2 project. The Government estimates that since 2009 it has spent upwards of a quarter of a billion pounds developing HS2.
Later in 2013 the Government intends to publish the first Hybrid Bill to authorise the construction of Phase 1 of HS2 (from London to Birmingham).
The Bill can be viewed on the Parliamentary website:
http://www.publications.
The Explanatory Notes on the Bill are also available:
http://www.publications.
On Wednesday 26 June the House of Commons debated the main principles of the Bill. The Bill has now been sent to the Public Bill Committee for scrutiny.
Deadline for submissions
The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration. The Committee is expected to meet for the first time on Tuesday 9 July; it will stop receiving written evidence at the end of the Committee stage on Thursday 18 July.[1]
[1] When the Committee reports it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can report earlier than Thursday 18 July
Guidance on submitting written evidence
What should written evidence cover?
Your submission should address matters contained within the Bill and concentrate on issues where you have a special interest or expertise, and factual information of which you would like the Committee to be aware. It is helpful if the submission includes a brief introduction about you or your organisation. The submission should not have been previously published or circulated elsewhere. If you have any concerns about your submission, please contact the Scrutiny Unit (details below).
How should written evidence be submitted?
Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk. Please note that submissions sent to the Government department in charge of the Bill will not be treated as evidence to the Public Bill Committee.
Submissions should be in the form of a Word document. A summary should be provided. Paragraphs should be numbered, but there should be no page numbering. Essential statistics or further details can be added as annexes, which should also be numbered. To make publication easier, please avoid the use of coloured graphs, complex diagrams or pictures. As a guideline, submissions should not exceed 3,000 words.
Please include in the covering email the name, address, telephone number and email address of the person responsible for the submission. The submission should be dated.
What will happen to my evidence?
The written evidence will be circulated to all Committee Members to inform their consideration of the Bill. Most submissions will also be published on the internet as soon as possible after the Committee has started sitting.
The Scrutiny Unit can help with any queries about written evidence. Contact details are as follows:
Telephone: 020 7219 8387, Email: scrutiny@parliament.uk Fax: 020 7219 8381, Post: Michelle Edney, Senior Executive Officer, Scrutiny Unit, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA.
PS If you decide to send in evidence to the committee, we’d be interested in seeing a copy: please send it to info@stophs2.org. Thank you.
quite extraordinary that the older,dare I say wiser Parliamentians have broken ranks and signalled their concerns.
Personally I would chalk it up to their moral stance and sense of integrity.
The unsupportable is unsupportable especially when as potentially destructive and inherently useless a scheme.
This is the inter-debate that was denied us by the election. The glue of conformism is being undone by the logic of reality.
When will Cameron and cronies realise they have advocated for and supported a pig in a poke.
Put it done to inexperience and naivitee (done right failure).
Well Done Lord Mandelson for admitting a politically painful truth. More truth please …..before it is too late…………
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5be0c442-e31d-11e2-bd87-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F5be0c442-e31d-11e2-bd87-00144feabdc0.html&_i_referer=#axzz2XrxBj2NZ