High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013

2013 CHAPTER 31

An Act to make provision authorising expenditure in preparation for a high speed railway transport network.

[21st November 2013]

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Preparatory expenditure

(1) The Secretary of State may, with the approval of the Treasury, incur expenditure in preparation for a high speed railway transport network.

(2) The network referred to in subsection (1) is a network which—

(a) involves the construction of railway lines connecting at least—

• London,

• Birmingham,

• the East Midlands,

• Sheffield,

• Leeds, and

• Manchester, and

(b) connects with the existing railway transport network as well as with such other parts of the transport network (including roads, footpaths, cycleways, airports and light railways) as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

(3) The expenditure which may be incurred under subsection (1) includes expenditure on—

(a) preparation for the construction of any railway line and any other infrastructure proposed to be included at any time in the network referred to in subsection (1), and

(b) preparation for the provision of services as part of that network.

(4) The expenditure mentioned in subsection (3) includes expenditure incurred—

(a) on pre-construction activity (such as surveying and design),

(b) in acquiring property, and

(c) in providing compensation in respect of property likely to be affected.

(5) In this Act, references to incurring expenditure include incurring liabilities.

(6) Expenditure incurred under this section is to be defrayed out of money provided by Parliament.

2 Financial reports

(1) The Secretary of State must prepare a report on expenditure under section 1 in relation to each financial year.

(2) Each report must contain details of—

(a) expenditure incurred under section 1 during the financial year to which the report relates (with capital and resource expenditure specified separately in respect of each head of expenditure referred to in section 1(4)(a) to (c));

(b) the extent to which expenditure incurred under section 1 during that year represents an overspend or underspend as against the budget for such expenditure for the year;

(c) the likely effect of any such overspend or underspend on a total budget of £50.1 billion in 2011 prices (which includes construction and the cost of rolling stock);

(d) total expenditure incurred under section 1 up to the end of that year;

(e) sums or assets received in that year in connection with expenditure incurred under section 1.

(3) Each report must also contain an account of the vocational qualifications gained during the financial year by individuals employed by persons appointed under an enactment to carry out activities in connection with preparing for, and constructing, the network referred to in section 1(1).

(4) In this section, “financial year” means—

(a) the period beginning with the day on which this Act is passed and ending with 31 March 2015, and

(b) each subsequent period of 12 months.

(5) The Secretary of State must lay each report under this section before Parliament as soon as is reasonably practicable after the end of the financial year to which it relates.

(6) No report is required in relation to a financial year in which there is nothing to record under subsection (2)(a) and (e).

3 Extent, commencement and short title

(1) This Act extends to England and Wales and to Scotland.

(2) This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed.

(3) This Act may be cited as the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013.