Speeches by Turner.

“Finally, on transparency, HS2 Ltd only had a limited audit opinion for the 2024-25 accounts. At the October meeting of the audit and risk assurance committee, to quote: “Members discussed the objective to create an improvement plan to enable HS2 to achieve a Moderate audit opinion by April 2026.” Was that achieved?”

“I want to take us back to the west coast main line north of Birmingham. The Secretary of State said yesterday: “We will conduct a further feasibility study on connectivity north of Birmingham. That will consider all options”. What is the timeline for the feasibility study? Has it started? When can we expect to see it, …”

“I want to take us back to contracts and oversight. When you appeared before the Committee in July last year, Mr Wild, you said that there was a fallback if negotiations could not be concluded. You said, “In areas where we have a little bit more flexibility to reallocate work we will do that, but for the majority we wil…”

“Finally from me in this section, one of the weaknesses highlighted in the Lovegrove report was that, in the past, there was a lack of an effective shareholder voice on the board—or, to put it in different language, no taxpayer voice was being represented in those discussions. Is there a more assertive approach now from…”

“We have heard—and I have heard privately—from people who have been engaged on the project that one reason for the high vacancy and turnover rates was culture. People felt that they were prevented from, or could not, escalate and report problems. Do you accept that characterisation?”

“I think some of my constituents will find it remarkable that we are talking about two years for a feasibility study—not an investment decision, but a study—and at the end of it, we might not even get a new relief line. Are you balancing the well-known problems of trying to upgrade the west coast main line? If we think …”

“Thank you; I appreciate that. Chair, I should have declared my membership of the GMB and Unite trade unions at the start of that discussion.”

“Finally, we have talked about the relationship between National Highways and the DFT, but what is the Treasury’s role in this? Do you talk to the Treasury directly? I understand that it may be about to take a wider interest in infrastructure costs across the board. Are you engaging with that?”

“The ICO’s definition document for wholly owned public companies suggests that those documents should be published, and other transport bodies have done so for 20 years. Now, I appreciate that you have not been in post for that time, but if it could be discussed at the board and this Committee updated on the outcome, th…”

“What are the changes that the DFT has made in terms of this?”

“Just to be absolutely clear, is that partnership with the Samaritans continuing into RIS3?”

“Essentially it comes down to wider contingency.”

“I have a question for Gareth. In respect of governance at National Highways, the ORR, Network Rail, Civil Aviation Authority and HS2 Limited all publish minutes of board meetings. Why does National Highways not do the same?”

“Please forgive the question, but why would the Treasury wish to meet and have discussions directly without the DFT in the room?”

“You have described changes that have been made within National Highways. Has the DFT changed the way that it solicits information, or otherwise exercises cost monitoring and control?”

“Duncan, just returning to something you said a few moments ago about worker fatalities—I should probably also draw attention to fact that I am a member of Unite the Union—am I right in saying that the group of workers that have seen the most notable increase in fatalities is among third party contractors? I would just …”

“A number of capital schemes were cancelled in 2024. In the National Highways annual report the recorded accounts were down in value by just under half a billion pounds with no assets delivered. Was there any value to the public that can be carried forward from the work that was done on these schemes prior to cancellati…”

“Very quickly, how does the funding for adaptive measures in suicide prevention work compare from RIS2 to RIS3? If that is something you wish to write to us with, please do.”

“For the record, it was Birmingham City Council that was at fault not yourselves.”

“We might be tempted to conclude that perhaps there is no value that can be taken from the experience.”