There have been a number of significant developments since the last entry of this blog which are briefly summarised below and will be subject of more detailed analysis in future blog entries.

High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill

The High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill is a 'paving bill' authorising further spending in preparation for HS2 (see blog entry here) and is making steady Parliamentary progress having completed the Report Stage and Third Reading in the House of Commons on 31 October.

The Bill had its First Reading in the House of Lords on 31 October and it has been confirmed that Second Reading and all remaining stages of the Bill will all take place on 19 November.

As the Bill is classed as a "Money Bill" the Lords may only debate the Bill, they cannot make amendments to it. However, Lord Stevenson of Balmacara has tabled a "motion of regret" as an amendment to the Second Reading. Lord Stevenson's full title – Baron of Little Missenden in the County of Buckinghamshire – gives a hint of what his regrets about HS2 might be, and we will see if their Lordships take this opportunity to put down a marker about the treatment that the hybrid bill itself might face.

We anticipate that the Bill will receive Royal Assent on 21 November so that it will be on the statute book before the HS2 hybrid bill is deposited (see below).

HS2 hybrid bill is expected to be published on Monday 25 November

The hybrid bill for HS2 phase one itself is widely expected to be published on 25 November. The accompanying Environmental Statement (which will set out the expected environmental impacts of the project), Book of Reference and the Deposited Plans and Sections are expected to be published shortly before, or just after, 25 November. In blog entry 8 we reported on the fact that Parliament had made changes to the way it would examine the Bill by amending the standing orders so that the public will be able to comment on the contents of the Environmental Statement, for a period of 56 days following its deposit. We will be reporting on both the contents of the Bill and the Environmental Statement and any other accompanying documents. We will also try to work out what a possible timeline for the Bill might look like if the 25 November date turns out to be true.

Other news

Other recent developments include:

  • The publication by the Government of the Strategic case for HS2 on 29 October (together with an updated economics case and other supporting documents) setting out the Government's view of the benefits of HS2 and why it is needed;
  • the Government's announcement on 1 November of a new study to be undertaken by HS2 Ltd into how the benefits of HS2 can be increased for Scotland. The study will consider, amongst other matters, cutting journeys from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London to 3 hours or less and is expected to report next year; and
  • the publication on 23 October of the initial report of the HS2 Growth Taskforce tasked with finding ways to maximise the benefits of HS2 and linked to this, the announcement on 4 November that the new chair of HS2, Sir David Higgins (currently the Network Rail Chief Executive), is also to report to the Government in March 2014, on how to reduce the £42.6 billion estimated cost of HS2.

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