{"id":49170,"date":"2014-10-23T13:28:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-23T13:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=a65b0420de294658de9d6d96fe551b2f"},"modified":"2014-10-23T13:28:00","modified_gmt":"2014-10-23T13:28:00","slug":"speech-hs2-supply-chain-conference-a-new-phase-for-the-hs2-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=49170","title":{"rendered":"Speech: HS2 supply chain conference: a new phase for the HS2 programme"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Good afternoon everyone.<\/p>\n

And welcome.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s great to see so many of you here today (23 October 2014).<\/p>\n

With over 750 delegates representing more than 500 companies.<\/p>\n

From small technology specialists to global infrastructure developers.<\/p>\n

All linked by a common purpose.<\/p>\n

To be part of the biggest rail project in this country since Queen Victoria was on the throne.<\/p>\n

And the most exciting engineering scheme in Britain for generations.<\/p>\n

One of the words you\u2019ve heard a lot today is \u201cmomentum\u201d.<\/p>\n

Because the HS2<\/abbr> programme<\/a> is entering a new phase.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s moving forward, fast.<\/p>\n

The fundamental case for the new line has been made.<\/p>\n

Capacity. Regeneration. Connectivity. So I won\u2019t go on.<\/p>\n

What matters, is the debate has shifted now.<\/p>\n

From whether we should build HS2<\/abbr>, to how we should build it.<\/p>\n

And how the rest of the transport network should link with the new railway.<\/p>\n

Because in infrastructure terms, HS2<\/abbr> is just around the corner.<\/p>\n

Subject to royal assent, construction on Phase One starts in just 3 years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n

The Bill\u2019s been making excellent progress through Parliament.<\/p>\n

It is now moving through the committee stage.<\/p>\n

Backed by overwhelming cross-party support.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s vital.<\/p>\n

Because it sends a message to you that HS2<\/abbr> will happen.<\/p>\n

Phase One and Phase Two. <\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another reason why you should plan ahead with confidence.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the record of this government over the past 4 and a half years.<\/p>\n

We said we\u2019d get Britain growing again and we have. This country now has the fastest growing economy of any major developed nation.<\/p>\n

We said that investment in infrastructure would be at the heart of our growth strategy and it is.<\/p>\n

When you look at where we were 4 and a half years ago, we\u2019ve made massive progress.<\/p>\n

Not so long ago, a British government would have raided the transport budget in times of austerity.<\/p>\n

Found an excuse to delay Crossrail and the Northern Hub.<\/p>\n

And derail HS2<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

But we did the opposite.<\/p>\n

We made transport a central part of our strategy for growth and jobs.<\/p>\n

We developed a national infrastructure plan.<\/p>\n

Providing a steady and predictable chain of schemes over time.<\/p>\n

All backed by record investment.<\/p>\n

But of all the infrastructure schemes in the plan, HS2<\/abbr> is the biggest.<\/p>\n

The question is, how to grasp that opportunity and exploit it to the full.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what today has been all about.<\/p>\n

My thanks to Simon, David, Beth and Alistair.<\/p>\n

For providing such a detailed update on HS2<\/abbr> progress.<\/p>\n

But this event is also a chance for you to get together.<\/p>\n

A chance for you to meet your fellow suppliers.<\/p>\n

To share ideas.<\/p>\n

And maybe see if there\u2019s potential to work together.<\/p>\n

This is your event as much as it\u2019s ours.<\/p>\n

Because now that we\u2019re nearing the procurement stage, HS2<\/abbr> is as much yours as ours.<\/p>\n

All of us have a stake in this.<\/p>\n

And all of us are learning as we progress.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what makes it so exciting.<\/p>\n

We in government are learning how to ease a project of this size through planning and procurement.<\/p>\n

And to inspire pride in British engineering. <\/p>\n

The rail industry is learning to become less risk-averse.<\/p>\n

To embrace new technologies and new ways of working.<\/p>\n

And you are here today to learn more about opportunities for the supply chain.<\/p>\n

So you can find the answers to the questions that HS2<\/abbr> poses.<\/p>\n

Increasingly, the spotlight is turning on you.<\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s now that we start to harness the innovation and creativity of the supply chain.<\/p>\n

The HS2<\/abbr> Growth Taskforce<\/a> encouraged us to consult with you early.<\/p>\n

To set new standards for industry engagement.<\/p>\n

And to provide opportunities for businesses of all sizes.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what we\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n

We listened and responded to what you told us.<\/p>\n

Your feedback has been instrumental in the design of our procurement strategy.<\/p>\n

For example, in the key areas of skills and apprenticeships.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve now committed to at least 2,000 HS2<\/abbr> apprentices.<\/p>\n

More than double the number created by the London Olympics and Crossrail together.<\/p>\n

And skills is now one of our strategic priorities.<\/p>\n

That was re-affirmed recently when we announced the new National College for High Speed Rail<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Giving specialist vocational training to the next generation of engineers working on HS2<\/abbr> and beyond. <\/p>\n

So the positive and open dialogue we\u2019ve developed over the past year has been crucial.<\/p>\n

And let me assure you that it will continue as we move ahead.<\/p>\n

Before I finish, I\u2019d like to make one last observation.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve proved in this country that we do have what it takes to deliver world class rail infrastructure.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve built High Speed 1.<\/p>\n

St Pancras and King\u2019s Cross.<\/p>\n

A fantastic Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

The Northern Hub underway.<\/p>\n

Of course HS2<\/abbr> is on a different scale to any of these schemes.<\/p>\n

But when I see the diversity and expertise of our supply chain in this country.<\/p>\n

And when I see how much enthusiasm there is for this project.<\/p>\n

I know that the future of HS2<\/abbr> is in excellent hands.<\/p>\n

So thank you for coming today.<\/p>\n

Thank you for your interest in this momentous project.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s make HS2<\/abbr> something that Manchester, and Britain, can be proud of.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Encourages suppliers about how industry can work together and get involved in the next phase of the HS2 project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49170"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}