High Speed 2

That certainly is a possibility, which I shall refer to later, because this morning we had anothe...

I thank my right hon. Friend for giving way so early in the debate, and I congratulate her on her...

That is absolutely right. Many of our local organisations got together in Buckinghamshire and nam...

I hope my right hon. Friend will join me in congratulating the Economic Secretary to the Treasury...

I am proud of my colleagues who are in government—and should remain in government—who have spoken...

Will the right hon. Lady give way?

I will, but my next sentence is that I do not want a Labour, or Labour-led, Government.

I just say that if the Scottish National party is so keen, perhaps the Scottish Parliament could ...

There is a lot of support for that on this side of the House. I do not want a Labour-led Governme...

My right hon. Friend has been a good friend since 1992 and a doughty fighter on this particular c...

That is absolutely correct. There is no direct connection to the channel tunnel, and people, part...

Does my right hon. Friend understand the disappointment at not having the regional high-speed tra...

I know. So many people have been marched up the garden path and marched down again. It is appalli...

I am most grateful to my right hon. Friend for calling the debate. As a regular traveller on the ...

I know. A member of my team uses those trains, so I get regular reports and what I am hearing is ...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend, because it seems to me that that goes to the heart of what...

The economic case was dodgy in the first place and has been challenged by many economists and out...

Is not the single argument, the single fact, that repeatedly holes the Government’s economic case...

The Government always go on about the Victorian railways, but they forget that it was private inv...

One thing that is noticeable to my constituents is that they live on an island and they have no b...

I suppose I could say that they are lucky they have no disbenefit from HS2, but that is one of th...

rose—

That is not a great track record, if hon. Members will forgive the pun. I will certainly give way...

My right hon. Friend is very kind and very generous; she knows me of old. Is it not interesting t...

That is a very valid point, but I have to say that, following the publication of a recent documen...

I wholly endorse what my right hon. Friend is saying about the “need to sell” scheme. Do her cons...

I agree entirely. I have been talking for too long. I was hoping to finish earlier than this, but...

rose—

Before I call the first speaker, I will set a time limit of four minutes. Hopefully, most people ...

I congratulate the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) on securing this debat...

My constituency has both the pain and the gain, having the first station outside London as the pr...

I particularly wanted to commend the Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, the hon. Memb...

I also commend the work of the Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, as well as the Comm...

I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) for her kind remark...

Is my right hon. Friend—I will call him that—aware that the completion of Birmingham New Street, ...

I should add, Mr Betts, that the people who have been making those preposterous estimates, coming...

On a point of order, Mr Betts. Would it be possible at this point, as this is possibly my right h...

Of course, that is not a point of order for the Chair, but the Chair’s inability to comment on it...

This will be my last speech in Westminster Hall, but I hope to catch Mr Speaker’s eye tomorrow fo...

I shall miss my hon. Friend in the House. He has made a fantastic contribution and has been a goo...

My right hon. Friend alluded to my putative successor—if the electorate are so inclined. I have h...

I believe that the case for HS2 is so overwhelming that it is not a question of why we are doing ...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that given that London is the finest city in the world, or certainl...

The Transport Committee is in favour of HS2 and has not been quoted. The experience from French c...

I want to support the hon. Gentleman’s point. The history of Japan presents a salient experience....

I agree with the hon. Gentleman. I will finish with two quick points. Hon. Members have said that...

Order. For all the speakers before the Front-Bench Members come in, I will have to reduce the tim...

Thank you, Mr Betts. I shall be as brief as I can. I have always recognised that infrastructure p...

Does my right hon. and learned Friend recognise that when the gravel pits were once mentioned in ...

I agree entirely with my right hon. Friend. Indeed, they are similar to the Norfolk broads in ter...

I give my right hon. and learned Friend that reassurance now.

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend. That will be well received in my constituency.

Finall...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts, and to follow the right hon. Member ...

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. Is he also aware that a business traveller from the...

I am not yet a Privy Counsellor and I do not suppose that I ever will be, but the hon. Gentleman’...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is the benefits that the alternatives to HS2 would bring to oth...

My right hon. Friend has spoken wisely, as always.

Can the hon. Gentleman bring his remarks to a conclusion, please, so the Front-Bench spokesmen ca...

Yes, indeed.

My second alternative to HS2 is to upgrade the east coast main line. It needs ...

I will not aid the hon. Gentleman in that course.

I ask the hon. Gentleman—Nick Hurd—just t...

I shall do my very best, Mr Betts.

I wholly endorse the view that we need more evidence and...

I congratulate the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) on securing the debate...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I will not give way because I have very limited time; I am sorry.

It is sometimes said that...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I will not give way, because I have such limited time and I want the Minister to be able to respo...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I am so sorry, but I am not going to; there is limited time.

We need to make sure that we g...

First, I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) on se...

Will the Minister give way?

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I am not going to give way. I have so many points to cover in a short time.

It is a vital p...

Will the Minister give way?

Not at this time.

He should give way to me.

I will give way this once.

I am grateful to the Minister. However, I do not know how he can say, “We have been fully transpa...

My right hon. Friend has tabled 355 parliamentary questions for the Department on HS2—

Good, I am doing my job.

And we have given her comprehensive replies to those questions. The report that she refers to is,...

Will the Minister give way?

I only have two minutes to go, so I really must come to a close.

I shall briefly talk about...