Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 28
28
HS2 Ltd told us that the nature of the High Speed 2 programme means that...
Conclusion
HS2 Ltd told us that the nature of the High Speed 2 programme means that the work required for it will be disruptive. HS2 Ltd estimated it had handled 124,000 queries over the past three years and interacted with over 76,000 people along the route.63 The Independent Construction Commissioner HS2 (the Commissioner) told us that the complaints the programme had received so far had mainly been about disruption to roads and traffic, vegetation clearance and noise and vibration from construction activity.64 With delivery of the main civil engineering projects on Phase One only formally beginning during 2020, both HS2 Ltd and the Commissioner told us that the volume of complaints was already increasing, but that this was inevitable.65 Complaints to the Commissioner rose to 86 in the first quarter of 2021 from 74 in the previous quarter.66 The Commissioner told us that while current volumes were unsatisfactory, the scale of the programme and the number of communities it impacted meant the programme was likely to generate large 59 Qq 69–71 60 Committee of Public Accounts, Progress with preparations for High Speed 2, Fourteenth Report of Session 2016–17, HC 486, 14 September 2016, para 13 61 Qq 65–66, 116 62 Qq 66–69, 116 63 Qq 104, 108 64 Oral evidence: HS2 recall – pre panel, HC 178, Q 20 65 Q 108; C&AG’s Report, para 1.3; Oral evidence: HS2 recall – pre panel, HC 178, Q 24 66 Independent Construction Commissioner, Seventeenth report: Quarter One 2021, page 2 HS2 Summer 2021 19 number of complaints, and that volumes of complaints were likely to continue to increase as the programme developed and more communities were affected. It explained that HS2 Ltd’s complaints system was so far working “extremely well” and that 90% of issues were resolved within the 20 working-day timetable. The Commissioner also told us it will be important to have a lessons learned process fully embedded in the programme, so lessons are shared between Phase One and Phase Two and mistakes are not rep
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6: PAC conclusion: We are already concerned about the volume of complaints on disruption from the programme which does not bode well for the future as more communities will be impacted as construction progresses. 6: PAC recommendation: The Department and HS2 Ltd should write to the Committee within three months setting out how they intend to resolve the issues around community engagement and the environment observed by the Committee in this report. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 6.2 The department wrote to the Committee in November 2021 detailing its current efforts to resolve issues around community engagement and the environment. 6.3 Substantial improvements have already been made with regard to community engagement and complaints management. HS2 Ltd has observed a steady decline in the level of complaints received, from a highpoint of 268 in February 2021 to 123 in September 2021. Similarly, HS2 Helpdesk enquiries have declined from 15,598 in the first quarter of 2021 to 10,993 in the third quarter. This reduction has taken place in the context of increased construction activity throughout 2021, and may be attributed to new measures introduced by HS2 Ltd since the second HS2 6-monthly report to Parliament in March 2021. 6.4 For complex and/or technical issues, the department has established a small team of construction inspectors to provide an expert and objective perspective. The construction inspectors report to the HS2 Minister and the HS2 Senior Responsible Owner and support the assurance of the delivery of works along the route. They carry out routine site inspections and are additionally deployed to examine issues of local concern and provide an independent view for the department. 6.5 With the new measures already underway to improve HS2 Ltd’s approach to community engagement and with the right culture of respect and continuous improvement, the department is confident that HS2 can be an exemplar in how individuals and communities are treated when large infrastructure projects cause disruption to people’s lives. 6.6 Further information on the steps being taken to minimise and compensate for any adverse environmental impacts are to be published in in HS2 Ltd’s first Environmental Sustainability Progress Report. This report will provide a clear and up to date account of HS2’s environmental impacts and the important work that is being done to minimise and compensate for any adverse environmental impacts. Alongside this, HS2 Ltd plans to publish a refreshed environmental sustainability vision, setting out the future ambition for how the project will further support the government’s decarbonisation and nature recovery objectives.