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High-Speed Rail

Secondary information

Type

Parliamentary proceeding

Reference

526 c147-96WH 

Session

2010-12

Department

Department for Transport

Chamber / Committee

Westminster Hall

Proceeding contributions

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c149WH (Link to this contribution) That is for the Minister to pronounce on and explain. I am a traditional socialist of the left and b...

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c148WH (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to speak in this debate. I have a great interest in rail and, generally speaking, I...

Show all contributions (133)

Stephen Pound | 526 c148-9WH (Link to this contribution) Those of us in Perivale certainly feel the pain, and there is no discernible indication of gain. On ...

Peter Bone | 526 c147WH (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. I speak as a representative of the Bac...

Julian Smith | 526 c149-50WH (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman not think it is absolutely crackers that I can get to Paris quicker than to ...

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c150WH (Link to this contribution) High-speed networks work brilliantly in areas where there are long gaps between major conurbations—i...

Bob Ainsworth | 526 c150WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend's proposition for a dedicated freight line has been around in one form or another for...

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c150WH (Link to this contribution) My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is always opposition to such plans. I stressed at th...

Speaker | 526 c151WH (Link to this contribution) There are plenty of hon. Members who want to speak.

David Mowat | 526 c150WH (Link to this contribution) The point is often made that high-speed rail works better over longer routes. Would he concede that ...

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c150WH (Link to this contribution) We would have to be prepared to spend that kind of money. I have been on the Cologne-Frankfurt route...

David Mowat | 526 c150WH (Link to this contribution) I was responding to the hon. Gentleman's point that high-speed rail works only over vast distances. ...

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c150WH (Link to this contribution) In the best of all possible worlds, it would be nice to have fast routes everywhere. However, we mus...

Speaker | 526 c151WH (Link to this contribution) It is always helpful if the Table Office conveys to the Chair the discussions it has had with Member...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c151-2WH (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Mr Walker. I am delighted to see so many ri...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c151WH (Link to this contribution) On a point of order, Mr Walker. For several months, the hon. Member for Coventry North West (Mr Robi...

David Mowat | 526 c153WH (Link to this contribution) On the first point, the ratio of 2 is for the London to Birmingham link. As my hon. Friend will know...

Daniel Byles | 526 c152WH (Link to this contribution) On that point, lest people think that that argument means that this is somehow a green solution, is ...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c152-3WH (Link to this contribution) Yes, indeed. There have been plenty of anecdotal reports from low-cost airlines suggesting that they...

Baroness Bray of Coln | 526 c152WH (Link to this contribution) The proposal was, of course, in our manifesto. That is a particularly important point for my constit...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c152WH (Link to this contribution) I agree absolutely with my hon. Friend. We desperately need to improve dramatically the capacity in ...

Lord Evans of Rainow | 526 c152WH (Link to this contribution) All three major parties had HS2 in their manifestos, including the party for which my hon. Friend st...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c152WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for those remarks. Ever since Lord Adonis introduced the proposal, I have opp...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c155WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. I absolutely am a supporter of the northern hub—there is no...

Stuart Andrew | 526 c155WH (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend not recognise that HS2 coupled with the northern hub would actually provide many...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c155WH (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments. Of course, he is absolutely right, but one of the key a...

Andy Slaughter | 526 c155WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady is falling into the trap into which she said she did not want to fall—the north-south ...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c156WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my right hon. Friend for her intervention. I had not written that into my contribution becau...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c156WH (Link to this contribution) Is my hon. Friend aware that the analysis of the business case for RP2 does not take into account th...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c154-5WH (Link to this contribution) I agree with my hon. Friend that it is very unusual for us to disagree. The reality is that we all s...

Craig Whittaker | 526 c154WH (Link to this contribution) It is not often that I am at odds with my hon. Friend and her point of view. However, only yesterday...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c153-4WH (Link to this contribution) I am struggling to follow some of my hon. Friend's numbers, because I think that he might be looking...

Speaker | 526 c153WH (Link to this contribution) Order. We have had too many questions.

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c159WH (Link to this contribution) We have suddenly gone from finding rolling stock available to having to purchase it. The change is n...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c159WH (Link to this contribution) There are two different ways to analyse RP2, one of which involves purchasing rolling stock and one ...

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c160WH (Link to this contribution) We have these generalisations, and people talk about a classic British compromise. We have all these...

Lord Evans of Rainow | 526 c159WH (Link to this contribution) Perhaps the fact that the Chancellor is a northern MP has something to do with that. However, on the...

John Stevenson | 526 c160WH (Link to this contribution) The same could apply to the hon. Gentleman's forecasts. They could be underestimates as well. The ec...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c156WH (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend accept that the more intensively a transport system is used, the higher the pric...

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c157-8WH (Link to this contribution) I am pleased to follow the hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Andrea Leadsom). This is, indeed,...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c156-7WH (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister again, but I have to disagree with her. There is no evidence that suggests that...

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c158-9WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister. I hope that we can take that assurance at face value, as we are meant...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c158WH (Link to this contribution) I am sure I am not going to convince the hon. Gentleman on everything, but I hope that I can convinc...

David Mowat | 526 c162WH (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c161-2WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. I was trying not to participate in nimbyism. I have been sworn ...

Tony Baldry | 526 c161WH (Link to this contribution) In fact, I am a humble Back Bencher, and proud to be so. I do not wish to intrude in family grief in...

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c161WH (Link to this contribution) I will give way to the Minister in a second. RP2 will take us up to 136 mph, which many people think...

Tony Baldry | 526 c161WH (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c161WH (Link to this contribution) That point was made earlier. My right hon. Friend asserts one thing that leads me to assert another....

Bob Ainsworth | 526 c161WH (Link to this contribution) By raising the historical context, my hon. Friend is making a good case against every major infrastr...

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c160-1WH (Link to this contribution) I do not think I can talk to that point. We come back to the fact that it can be done much more chea...

John Stevenson | 526 c160WH (Link to this contribution) On the west coast line the increase in traffic has been far beyond the forecasts made originally.

Stephen Hammond | 526 c164WH (Link to this contribution) I am listening carefully to the point that my hon. Friend is making. He will know, of course, that t...

Daniel Byles | 526 c164WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. It sounds ideal to suggest that linking the two systems...

Daniel Byles | 526 c164WH (Link to this contribution) I give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South (David Mowat)

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c163WH (Link to this contribution) I would like to make the point that it is not possible for my right hon. Friend to make that claim. ...

Daniel Byles | 526 c163WH (Link to this contribution) I am delighted to hear the Minister say that that is not true.

Craig Whittaker | 526 c164WH (Link to this contribution) The business people of Yorkshire are not particularly interested in rebalancing on a regional basis....

Daniel Byles | 526 c163-4WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making that point. The very fact that the Minister referred to i...

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c162WH (Link to this contribution) We have taken up a bit of time. The hon. Gentleman will have better use of his time if I curtail min...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c163WH (Link to this contribution) That is simply not true. There are some indicative forecasts in the HS2 analysis about how services ...

Daniel Byles | 526 c162-3WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Northamptonshire (Andrea Leadsom) on securing the...

Stephen Hammond | 526 c164WH (Link to this contribution) Will my hon. Friend say who would satisfy his classification of independence?

Daniel Byles | 526 c165WH (Link to this contribution) I am delighted that the Transport Committee has said that it would look at the matter. I have the gr...

David Mowat | 526 c164WH (Link to this contribution) I want to make the same point. A recent survey by the West Midlands Chamber of Commerce, which I thi...

Daniel Byles | 526 c164WH (Link to this contribution) Warwickshire borough council and, I believe, Warwick district council, as well as Warwickshire count...

Daniel Byles | 526 c165WH (Link to this contribution) I will sum up with a quote from the conclusion of the report from the university of Barcelona, which...

Speaker | 526 c165WH (Link to this contribution) Order. It is not within my powers to impose a time limit on debates, but hon. Members could look at ...

Damian Collins | 526 c165WH (Link to this contribution) I am interested in my hon. Friend's core argument that high-speed rail may suck economic growth from...

Speaker | 526 c165WH (Link to this contribution) Order. I do not want to impede debate, but a huge number of hon. Members want to speak this afternoo...

Frank Dobson | 526 c165-6WH (Link to this contribution) I declare an interest as the representative for King's Cross, Euston and St Pancras stations, and as...

Tony Baldry | 526 c166WH (Link to this contribution) I seek information, as I am now totally confused. Will the right hon. Gentleman explain to the Chamb...

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c166WH (Link to this contribution) Another point is that unlike Paddington, the Euston option would require expensive tunnelling to get...

Frank Dobson | 526 c166WH (Link to this contribution) I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. Another point is the connection with HS1. We are told that gre...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c166WH (Link to this contribution) I assure the right hon. Gentleman that the mistake that the previous Government made in not providin...

Frank Dobson | 526 c167WH (Link to this contribution) I know the Minister is an optimist, but if she thinks I am going to leap to the defence of Lord Adon...

David Mowat | 526 c167-8WH (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman speaks well about the difficulties in forecasting, particularly far into th...

Frank Dobson | 526 c168WH (Link to this contribution) I do not wish to be rude, but the only thing to add to the hon. Gentleman's contribution is, ““Or I ...

Baroness Bray of Coln | 526 c168WH (Link to this contribution) Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

Speaker | 526 c168WH (Link to this contribution) Order. We are now in the 11th minute of the right hon. Gentleman's speech. If hon. Members wish to s...

Baroness Bray of Coln | 526 c168WH (Link to this contribution) I will be very brief. The right hon. Gentleman's case seems to be that we should never do anything o...

Andy Slaughter | 526 c172WH (Link to this contribution) I shall give way in a moment. So that bygones can be bygones perhaps the Minister will say, ““I woul...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c172WH (Link to this contribution) It would be a pleasure. I hope that the hon. Gentleman is aware that the Government's proposals incl...

Andy Slaughter | 526 c170-1WH (Link to this contribution) I am glad that we are seeing all-party support as well as opposition to High Speed 2 today. I believ...

Iain Stewart | 526 c170WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a very important point. We need to consider that broader strategic case. Yes, w...

Andy Slaughter | 526 c171-2WH (Link to this contribution) I shall say a word in favour of nimbyism in a moment. Yes, it is true that my constituency will suf...

Frank Dobson | 526 c168WH (Link to this contribution) I will finish on that point. I was always a strong supporter of the channel tunnel and the channel t...

Damian Collins | 526 c170WH (Link to this contribution) Of course, my constituency is at the end of the High Speed 1 network. I do not think that we would f...

Iain Stewart | 526 c168-70WH (Link to this contribution) It is a great pleasure to speak under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. I add my congratulations to my h...

Speaker | 526 c176WH (Link to this contribution) I call Graham Evans. Six minutes.

Lord Evans of Rainow | 526 c176-8WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to you, Mr Walker, for calling me to speak. It is a pleasure to serve under your chair...

Thomas Docherty | 526 c175-6WH (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to serve for the first time under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. The hon. Member for...

Tony Baldry | 526 c174-5WH (Link to this contribution) I understand the exact terms of reference. In holding a strategic inquiry, the hon. Lady and her Com...

Louise Ellman | 526 c174WH (Link to this contribution) The inquiry being undertaken by the Transport Committee is of a strategic nature. Its terms of refer...

Tony Baldry | 526 c173-4WH (Link to this contribution) We are all agreed that we want the UK economy to grow, and that we want a greater rebalancing of the...

Speaker | 526 c173WH (Link to this contribution) Colleagues seem to have a fairly elastic idea of six minutes, but six minutes is a good idea.

Andy Slaughter | 526 c173WH (Link to this contribution) I can only say that if I could end all my speeches with a quote from Perry Vale I would be a much gr...

Stephen Pound | 526 c173WH (Link to this contribution) I shall be very brief, as I know that my hon. Friend is reaching the end of his peroration. I know t...

Andy Slaughter | 526 c172-3WH (Link to this contribution) Absolutely, but that was always in Lord Adonis' mind. The report that he commissioned from Lord Mawh...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c193WH (Link to this contribution) The project will create jobs throughout the country. The suggestion that all the cities that are cal...

Andrea Leadsom | 526 c193WH (Link to this contribution) Does my right hon. Friend accept that unemployment in Lille rose after high-speed rail went there?

Theresa Villiers | 526 c193-6WH (Link to this contribution) What I know is that Lille's prospects were transformed by high-speed rail, and its unemployment leve...

Bob Ainsworth | 526 c192WH (Link to this contribution) I recognise what the Minister says about Coventry. The city is split, and the council is opposed, as...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c192-3WH (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman puts the case very well. Coventry stands to benefit hugely from the plans u...

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c193WH (Link to this contribution) The Minister spoke about regional benefits, and we increasingly see the Secretary of State and the P...

Andrew Gwynne | 526 c188-9WH (Link to this contribution) Absolutely. As I have said, capacity on the west coast main line is of fundamental importance, and t...

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c189WH (Link to this contribution) The fundamental problem we have on many of our rail routes is old-fashioned signalling; it is 50 yea...

Andrew Gwynne | 526 c189-90WH (Link to this contribution) I share my hon. Friend's assessment of that issue. I know he made that case at a recent reception wi...

Speaker | 526 c179WH (Link to this contribution) It is very polite of you, colleagues, to take interventions, but if you continue to do so, you will ...

Lord Evans of Rainow | 526 c178WH (Link to this contribution) I am most grateful to my hon. Friend for his intervention. Varying and conflicting figures are bandi...

Lord Evans of Rainow | 526 c178WH (Link to this contribution) If I may, I will make progress. I am keen to keep to the six-minute limit that the Chairman suggeste...

Chris White | 526 c178WH (Link to this contribution) Will my hon. Friend give way very briefly?

Lord Evans of Rainow | 526 c178WH (Link to this contribution) Okay. My hon. Friend has persuaded me.

Chris White | 526 c179WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend. He mentioned the business man in the north who wants to recruit high-quality...

Lord Evans of Rainow | 526 c179WH (Link to this contribution) Well, I am sorry that I gave way to my hon. Friend. [Laughter.] I can only go on what business men i...

Daniel Byles | 526 c178WH (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend accept that, in less than 12 months, the new business case has already halved th...

Stuart Andrew | 526 c184-5WH (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. I will try to be quick. I congratulate...

David Mowat | 526 c185-7WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Northamptonshire (Andrea Leadsom) on securing thi...

Chris White | 526 c181-2WH (Link to this contribution) There were some emotional comments earlier, and I shall try to avoid making any more in my remarks i...

John Leech | 526 c182-4WH (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship for the first time, Mr Walker. I am delighted to h...

John Leech | 526 c188WH (Link to this contribution) In the past, the hon. Gentleman has been supportive of the concept of high-speed rail to Manchester ...

Jason McCartney | 526 c187WH (Link to this contribution) I am aware that I no longer have six minutes to speak, but that is, coincidentally, a thirteenth of ...

Andrew Gwynne | 526 c187-8WH (Link to this contribution) I am pleased to contribute to this very important debate about the High Speed 2 programme. I suspect...

Christopher Pincher | 526 c179-81WH (Link to this contribution) I shall adhere to your injunction to be brief, Mr Walker. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sout...

Speaker | 526 c181WH (Link to this contribution) We have 30 minutes before I call the Front-Bench spokespeople and we have eight colleagues who want ...

Kelvin Hopkins | 526 c151WH (Link to this contribution) I have made my main points. I have made them before in this Chamber, and I shall continue to make th...

Geoffrey Robinson | 526 c160WH (Link to this contribution) That is a very fair point. It is difficult when one looks at such wildly different forecasts. One ha...

Frank Dobson | 526 c166WH (Link to this contribution) As I understand it, because Euston does not have a connection to Heathrow Express and Crossrail, it ...

Tony Baldry | 526 c171WH (Link to this contribution) It seems that the hon. Gentleman does not have any constituents whose homes will be demolished. Does...

Theresa Villiers | 526 c190-2WH (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. This has been an excellent, high-quali...

Baroness Bray of Coln | 526 c178WH (Link to this contribution) Would the business case for high-speed rail be even better for some of the businesses up north if th...

Lord Evans of Rainow | 526 c178WH (Link to this contribution) I am most grateful to my hon. Friend for that very good point, but perhaps the Minister can answer h...

Andrew Gwynne | 526 c188WH (Link to this contribution) Before I was interrupted, I was about to say that it is clear that a project of this size and scale ...

Subjects

Construction Finance Environment protection Forecasts Railways Passengers High Speed Two High Speed 2 line High Speed Two Action Alliance

Link

View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk