High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill

I must confess that feel like a queue-jumper, because I added my name and the Government’s suppor...

I am grateful to the Minister for giving way, because I know that he needs to get on. Does he agr...

Indeed, I look forward to being in Doncaster soon with the right hon. Member for Doncaster Centra...

The Minister is giving a pretty fair assessment of how he sees this proceeding. The new clause pr...

I thought I just said that this power is already available and therefore this is a superfluous ne...

I am pleased to be able to contribute to this important debate and play a part in this Bill’s pro...

Just in case it might be thought that there is not still entrenched opposition to these proposals...

I think I used the word “consensus” not “unanimity”. I sincerely thank the Minister for his const...

Is the hon. Gentleman at all worried about the possible job impact on the existing railway, becau...

The right hon. Gentleman misses the point: this is about having a positive impact on capacity iss...

I, too, am sorry to break the cosy consensus of the two Front-Bench teams, who seem to be conspir...

Let me clarify that this is not about a cosy consensus; it is about rigorous examination. There h...

rose—

I have already given way and I must now make some progress.

The Government estimate that as...

I support the new clause. Will this annual report capture people gaining qualifications not only ...

The new clause is focused principally on HS2 Ltd, but the hon. Gentleman makes a very important p...

rose—

I will make some progress.

Come on!

No, I will crack on.

I will give way in a moment.

According to the McNulty report, the fragmentation of our rail...

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way. We had this litany from him, which was p...

I am happy to answer the right hon. Gentleman. It was because the last Labour Government put reco...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way on that?

I will carry on, because I know that people want to contribute to the debate.

In illustrati...

I am sure that the shadow Minister will welcome the new service that will be starting from Middle...

Of course I welcome it; it would be churlish not to. Why would I not welcome that? It does not me...

rose—

No, I am going to move on.

We have heard the Prime Minister, the Chancellor, the Secretary ...

It was disheartening to hear the Minister dismiss my amendments in this group before hearing what...

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Select Committee pressed HS2 hard on reimbursement to high...

I appreciate the work my hon. Friend did on the Select Committee. He is correct that there are un...

My right hon. Friend might like to point out that there are 65 pages of road and footpath closure...

My right hon. Friend is absolutely correct. Perhaps that shows the scale of the battle that has b...

In my constituency, we have had significant problems in engaging with HS2—and not just me as the ...

My hon. Friend makes a point that is entirely familiar to me and many other people along the line...

It seems to me rather strange that the Government will not accept the amendments. The history of ...

Any addition to my right hon. and learned Friend’s point would be otiose. He is absolutely correc...

May I take my right hon. Friend back to the point about HS2 liaising with the public? Is she awar...

I drew the House’s attention to that report in a point of order. The report is appended to today’...

Both of us have signed new clause 33 on compensation by reference to a property bond. I wanted to...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend, and grateful for the support that I have received from colleague...

One of my greatest concerns about going forward without the Select Committee, which has been of e...

The hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Andy McDonald) said today from the Opposition Dispatch Box tha...

High Speed 2 is extremely important and is necessary to expand capacity on a railway that is ever...

Does the hon. Lady agree that a link between Euston and St Pancras might offer an opportunity for...

The hon. Gentleman makes some important points that are worthy of consideration. I believe the de...

Order. I trust that hon. Members will now be very brief, because we have only 15 minutes left for...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker; I shall be brief.

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Memb...

I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for giving way on that point; I intervene because I had ...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. Yes, these are precisely the areas where Government intervention...

I rise to support new clauses 26 and 32. Paradoxically, I agree with most of what has been said t...

My hon. Friend is doing a brilliant job of representing her constituents, as she always does. Doe...

Order. We do not have time for long interventions.

My hon. Friend puts it very well. He anticipates my new clause 32, which is about the fairness of...

I rise to speak to the new clauses in my name and to put the case of my constituents in North War...

I did have a very detailed speech on this important issue for Wales, but I am afraid that time wi...

I will be brief. The SNP welcomes this investment. Although, as has been said, the initial roll-o...

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

New clause 7—Obligation to plant ...

New clause 6 relates to the Chiltern review group. The Chiltern area of outstanding natural beaut...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for giving way. Is not new clause 7 actually defective? The...

My right hon. Friend makes a valid point. He will notice that there are a large number of amendme...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the problem of trees and ancient woodland demonstrates not o...

My hon. Friend makes a good point. I remember considering the matter in a debate in Westminster H...

I was at the debate about ancient woodland to which my right hon. Friend referred. Does she agree...

My hon. Friend has already made a name for herself in the House for defending our environment, an...

I am sure that the right hon. Lady will acknowledge that when HS2’s original estimate of the amou...

The hon. Gentleman’s point about inaccurate assessments is, I am afraid, repeated throughout deal...

May I underline our commitment to no net environmental loss and our commitment to plant 2 million...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that clarification. I wish I could take it at face value.

As I am sure the right hon. Lady agrees, the Minister’s assurance that there will be no net loss ...

The hon. Gentleman makes a very valid point. Quite frankly, the fact that anybody actually says t...

rose—

The Minister is determined to get in again. As we have not heard a lot from him, I will give way....

May I just make the point that translocation of ancient woodland soils is recognised by Natural E...

I again thank the Minister for that clarification.

I am very concerned about the protection of ancient pastureland. In one particularly egregious ca...

rose—

I think my right hon. and learned Friend has had a similar experience.

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. Those managing pastureland to produce wild flowers were...

I make no comment. That speaks for itself.

Will the right hon. Lady give way?

I think I have given way enough to the hon. Gentleman. I want to make some progress because so ma...

Is my right hon. Friend as concerned as I am that if HS2 is its own policeman, corners will be cu...

I think that will happen. Once this project is on its way, it will be easy to say that this would...

New clause 22 deals with Euston, which is in the middle of my constituency. It is not easy to con...

I will be extremely brief on the issue of the adjudicator. I listened very carefully to what the ...

I wish to speak to new clause 22 on the construction of an integrated station at Euston.

Th...

The hon. Gentleman is right to talk about the integration between Crossrail and Euston and what m...

That point has been raised several times. The intention, as expressed in the documents, is to hav...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that if Euston station were holistically designed and developed, it...

I agree entirely with the hon. Gentleman’s intervention. That is the thrust of our new clause, wh...

rose—

If my hon. Friend would not mind, I am conscious of my time drifting away.

The Chairman con...

I have tabled some fresh amendments which are designed to help colleagues whose constituencies ar...

New clauses 34 and 35, which I tabled, relate to construction at Canterbury Works and Alexandra P...

I should like to add my support to the amendments relating to the office of the adjudicator, whic...

Given the lack of time, I shall speak only to amendment 16, tabled in my name, which seeks to giv...

The new clauses and amendments principally concern environmental issues, which the Government tak...

Will the Minister inform the House as to how many conventional platforms will have to be sacrific...

We have made it quite clear that phasing the development of the high-speed platforms at Euston wi...

Will the Minister give way?

I must make progress because we have only a minute left. On residential demolitions, we have comm...

In the light of the unsatisfactory reply from the Minister and the fact that he has relied again ...

I inform the House that the amendments on the Order Paper have not been selected.

4.39 pm