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<p>The table below outlines an estimate of the cost to the public purse of parliamentary scrutiny of sections of HS2 that have since been cancelled. The costs of committee visits, the transcription of committee hearings, reports by the Independent Assessor and additional staffing have all been taken into account.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Select Committee on the High Speed Rail (West Midlands – Crewe) Bill</strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Select Committee on the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Committee visits</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>£2,620</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>£4,006.89</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Transcription of Committee hearings</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>£54,313</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>£24,811.50</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Reports of the Independent Assessor</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>£184,760.58</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>£175,712.40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Staffing</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>N/A</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>£184,826</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>£241,693.58</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>£389,356.79</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>£631,050.37</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Under Private Business Standing Order 224A(6)(a)(ii) (‘Comments on environmental statements’), the examiner of petitions for private bills is required to appoint an independent assessor to produce a report on responses to the public consultation on an environmental statement.</p><p>Three reports were published by the independent assessor on the High Speed Rail (West Midlands – Crewe) Act 2021, relating to consultations held on the Environmental Statement, the Supplementary Environmental Statement which accompanied Additional Provision 1, and the Supplementary Environmental Statement which accompanied Additional Provision 2.</p><p>Two reports have so far been published by the independent assessor on the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, relating to consultations held on the Environmental Statement and the Supplementary Environmental Statement 1 and Additional Provision 1 Environmental Statement.</p><p>Under Private Business Standing Order 224A(10), the costs of the process of appointing an independent assessor, incurred by the House, shall be reimbursed by the government.</p> |