I believe that transport infrastructure, if implemented effectively, can drive economic growth and redistribute opportunity by supporting towns and cities around the UK. It is only right, however, that infrastructure projects which involve significant amounts of taxpayer funding should be subject to continuous assessment, particularly with regard to costs and benefits.
To this end, I understand that the Prime Minister has launched an independent review of the HS2 project. It is encouraging that the review will be led by Douglas Oakervee, who has considerable experience of major projects over a 60-year career; he will no doubt be ably assisted by Lord Berkeley, who will work as his deputy.
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