HS2 consultants’ services have already cost over £25 million

Last month, I put down a written Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Transport, asking for the remit and cost of the consultants involved in the High Speed Two project. You can read my question and the answer in Hansard here and the text is below.

As you can see, these costs have already run to over £25 million…

Steve Baker:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which consultants are being or have been used on the High Speed 2 project; and what the (a) remit and (b) cost to the public purse was of their services in each case.

Justine Greening:

The following table provides information on the consultants used by both HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport since the inception of HS2 Ltd in 2009 to present. It also gives information on their remit and associated costs.

Company	Remit	Costs (£)
ALOGIT	Technical services	23,184.00
DbyD: Consultation Institute	Consultation	23,760.00
Arup	Engineering and technical services	7,155,687.35
Atkins	Economic services	2,053,812.96
Bircham Dyson Bell	Legal services	117,013.52
Bombardier: Min Headway Eval	Engineering and technical services	24,000.00
Booz and Company	Environmental and economic services	3,550,744.07
Campbell Associates	Environmental services	37,473.26
CB Richard Ellis	Property services	280,606.59
CCH Wolters Kluwer (UK) LTD	Taxation services	504.00
Davis Langdon	Cost and risk services	26,569.60
DG Consultant	Transport services	17,500.00
Senior Ecologist—ELM Environment	Environmental services	10,027.74
Energy Strategy	Engineering services	2,160.00
Ernst & Young LLP	Financial services	410,888.90
Eversheds LLP	Legal services	233,499.89
Hay Group Management Limited	HR services	53,987.36
Transport Studies Unit	Transport services	48,135.60
Landmark Chambers	Legal services	13,800.00
Mott Macdonald	Engineering services	4,412,654.42
MSG	Engineering services	154,904.91
MVA	Economic services	3,276,661.48
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd	Environmental/transport services	7,632.51
Oliver Wyman Consulting Limited	Strategy consultancy	107,497.73
Paul Jenkins Associates Ltd	Engineering services	22,696.18
Rand Europe	Economic services	19,986.80
Reg Harman Consultancy	Environmental services	783.30
Rowsell Wright	Procurement services	257,976.00
URS/Scott Wilson	Economic services	14,652.00
Stoneywood Consultants	Organisation/procurement services	59,001.59
Systra	Operational services	82,500.00
Temple Ltd	Environmental services	3,209,557.60
Thornton Springer	Taxation/payroll advice	1,842.00
UKPNS Traction	Environmental services	111,430.95

That seems good money for a project that would never attract voluntary support and for those who, far from inheriting the mantle of the Victorian railway pioneers who risked private capital, rely on the taxpayer. It is a metaphor for the transformation of our society from one based on free enterprise to one dependent on state power and the essentially arbitrary decisions of politicians and officials.