Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to procurement notice Review on the State of Digital Government (2024/S 000-039897) published on 11 December 2024, why this contract was awarded via Bloom Procurement Services rather than through a direct Cabinet Office procurement; and what assessment they made of the cost of conducting this procurement via the Central Digital and Data Office.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The contract was awarded via Bloom Procurement Services as part of the government’s commitment to ensuring value for money and efficiency in procurement processes. Bloom operates as a neutral vendor, providing a pre-approved supplier network that enables access to specialist services through a streamlined and competitive procurement route. In this case it was assessed that using Bloom facilitated access to a broad pool of suppliers with relevant expertise, whilst reducing administrative overheads and ensuring competitive pricing. Conducting this procurement via the Central Digital and Data Office would have required additional time and resources, potentially delaying delivery. The use of Bloom allowed for a more agile procurement approach, balancing cost-effectiveness with the need for timely delivery.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the publication of the State of Digital Government Review on 21 January (CP 1251), what methodology they used to calculate the estimate that full potential digitisation could deliver over £45 billion in annual savings and productivity benefits; what the projected savings are by department and public body; what proportion of savings is expected to be cashable; and what level of investment is required to achieve these efficiencies.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government’s £45 billion estimate is based on a detailed, bottom‐up analysis employing three levers: automating routine tasks (£36 billion), migrating services online (£4 billion) and reducing fraud via digital compliance (£6 billion). This work scaled bespoke analysis conducted on the Civil Service to the wider public sector, with overlaying case studies. A sizable proportion of these benefits is expected to be cashable, although exact figures vary by domain and profession. Achieving these efficiencies will require substantial, bespoke investment, and we are working to ascertain that in the largest opportunity areas. A more detailed methodology will be published online in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 11 December 2024 of the procurement notice Review on the State of Digital Government (2024/S 000-039897), why the evaluation criteria were weighted 85 per cent on quality and 15 per cent on price; and whether the Cabinet Office or Bloom Procurement Services was responsible for setting the evaluation criteria.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Cabinet Office set the evaluation criteria, with an 85 per cent weighting on quality and 15 per cent on price, to ensure that the contract was awarded based on expertise, capability, and the ability to deliver high-quality outcomes. Bloom Procurement Services acted as a neutral vendor facilitating the procurement process but was not responsible for determining the evaluation criteria.

This weighting aligns with standard industry practice for procuring highly complex and strategic services, where the ability to deliver effectively is more critical than cost alone. In such procurements, a high emphasis on quality ensures that suppliers are assessed on their technical expertise, delivery methodology, risk management, and ability to provide value beyond minimum requirements.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 11 December 2024 of the procurement notice Review on the State of Digital Government (2024/S 000-039897), what assessment they made of Bain & Company's compliance with monitoring conditions; whether the Cabinet Office had final approval over the participation of Bain & Company in the framework mini competition; and what safeguards there are to ensure that firms subject to monitoring cannot use procurement intermediaries to bypass Government scrutiny of monitoring conditions.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Cabinet Office’s use of procurement intermediaries is governed by the Cabinet Office Commercial Directorate and any requirements commissioned via this route remain subject to the same level of assurance and governance as it would if it had been undertaken in-house.

As part of this specific procurement competition, the Cabinet Office Commercial Directorate confirmed with Government Commercial Function that Bain & Company were meeting all applicable conditions that permit them to be included in this mini competition.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the percentage of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities whose free school transport was provided via single-occupancy vehicles in 2023–24.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home to school travel for eligible children. The department collects data on the total amount each local authority spends, broken down by phase of education and by two broad categories of eligibility – travel agreed for reasons of the child’s special educational needs or disability (SEND) and for reasons other than SEND. This is attached and available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/la-and-school-expenditure#subjectTabs-createTable.

To date, the department has not collected data on the number of pupils receiving free home to school travel or on the travel arrangements local authorities make. We therefore do not hold the specific information requested.

In February 2025, the department launched a voluntary data collection, seeking more detailed information from local authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of children in England who have been granted free school transport solely because of a parent's disability in each of the past three financial years, under the discretionary powers granted to local authorities by section 508C of the Education Act 1996.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home to school travel for eligible children. The department collects data on the total amount each local authority spends, broken down by phase of education and by two broad categories of eligibility – travel agreed for reasons of the child’s special educational needs or disability (SEND) and for reasons other than SEND. This is attached and available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/la-and-school-expenditure#subjectTabs-createTable.

To date, the department has not collected data on the number of pupils receiving free home to school travel or on the travel arrangements local authorities make. We therefore do not hold the specific information requested.

In February 2025, the department launched a voluntary data collection, seeking more detailed information from local authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total expenditure on taxis for school transport in England in the 2023–24 financial year, broken down by local authority; and what was the highest per-mile rate paid for taxi journeys compared to the lowest per-mile rate.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home to school travel for eligible children. The department collects data on the total amount each local authority spends, broken down by phase of education and by two broad categories of eligibility – travel agreed for reasons of the child’s special educational needs or disability (SEND) and for reasons other than SEND. This is attached and available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/la-and-school-expenditure#subjectTabs-createTable.

To date, the department has not collected data on the number of pupils receiving free home to school travel or on the travel arrangements local authorities make. We therefore do not hold the specific information requested.

In February 2025, the department launched a voluntary data collection, seeking more detailed information from local authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the proportion of school transport budgets in England that has been spent on children attending out-of-area schools due to a lack of local provision in each of the past three financial years.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home to school travel for eligible children. The department collects data on the total amount each local authority spends, broken down by phase of education and by two broad categories of eligibility – travel agreed for reasons of the child’s special educational needs or disability (SEND) and for reasons other than SEND. This is attached and available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/la-and-school-expenditure#subjectTabs-createTable.

To date, the department has not collected data on the number of pupils receiving free home to school travel or on the travel arrangements local authorities make. We therefore do not hold the specific information requested.

In February 2025, the department launched a voluntary data collection, seeking more detailed information from local authorities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to page 31 of the 2013 report Civil Service Reform Plan: One Year On, whether it is their policy to appoint all new permanent secretaries on fixed-term tenures; and whether they will publish (1) all permanent secretary-level appointments, (2) whether those appointments are fixed-term and (3) the date on which those appointments expire.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

It remains the case that Permanent Secretaries are appointed on fixed term tenures and that their appointments are published on GOV.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 19 February of Current PFI and PF2 projects as at 31 March 2024, what steps they take to detect when (1) equity holders, or (2) special purpose vehicles, transfer ownership of their stake in a project without notifying the contracting authority; and how often this has occurred in the last five years.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Infrastructure and Project Authority, now the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority as of the 1^st April, collects data annually on PFI projects. This includes for each Special Purpose Vehicle the UK registered company number, name and address and the name of the equity holders (investors) in the Special Purpose Vehicle. Standard contract drafting provides that a contractor shall inform an authority as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event within [30] days, of any change of ownership occurring. This information is collated and published annually.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the formal performance management process for permanent secretaries; who is the designated line manager i of each permanent secretary; what role, if any, ministers play in (1) setting objectives, (2) assessing performance, and (3) contributing to appraisals; whether this is set out in any Cabinet Office guidance; and if so, whether they will place a copy of this guidance in the Library of the House.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As with all other civil servants, the performance of Permanent Secretaries is monitored through formal performance management arrangements. The majority of First Permanent Secretaries report to the Cabinet Secretary with Second Permanent Secretaries reporting to (First Permanent Secretary) Heads of Departments. Performance management activity is undertaken by the relevant line manager.

Objectives for each Permanent Secretary are set at the beginning of the performance year and include input from Ministers. Mid-year and end-year reviews are conducted by the relevant line manager, with feedback/evidence from Ministers forming an important part of the overall performance assessment. Ministers do not participate in mid and end-year review meetings.

Guidance on the process is not published.

In March, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced that the Government will be strengthening performance processes for the SCS.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Agnew of Oulton DL

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

1 April 2025

Dear Lord Agnew,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your following Parliamentary Questions:

• To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, based on the latest approved business case, of the average cost per user of the Integrated Data Service, including a breakdown of how this cost is calculated (HL6020).

• To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity. (HL6094).

• To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24 (HL6095).

• To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been (HL6096).

The Integrated Data Programme (IDP) Business Case is being reviewed as part of Spending Review 2025. From when the Integrated Data Service (IDS) is fully operational, the current estimate of the average gross cost per user accessing the IDS is approximately £4,645 per year over the financial years 2026/2027 to 2028/2029. This cost is calculated by including the service support costs for users, the IT licensing and usage costs, and the platform operational management costs.

The current Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) has dedicated substantially more than 50% of their time to the Integrated Data Programme. The "red" delivery confidence assessment rating primarily relates to obtaining data owner permission for analysis, as highlighted in numerous other reports . Significant progress is being made in unblocking data flows, however senior sponsorship is still required to fully realise the benefits of mission delivery. We’re now making good progress in obtaining that sponsorship.

The annual cost of the service is now low. The majority of the expenditure has been invested in building infrastructure that is also used for other core ONS business and it is now ready for use.

Future funding of the IDP is under consideration as part of Spending Review 2025, the outcome of which will not be announced until 11 June 2025. All Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes are subject to an Accounting Officer assessment as part of established governance procedures.

The IDS was accredited under the Digital Economy Act (2017) in September 2023. The accreditation of the IDS under the DEA was reviewed after 12 months, in September 2024.

During the development of the platform prior to September 2023, the IDS was audited by the UKSA Research Accreditation Panel to establish the readiness of the IDS for DEA accreditation. These audits occurred in February 2023 and June 2023.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

1For further details, you can refer to the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority by Professor Denise Lievesley CBE and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base report.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Agnew of Oulton DL

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

1 April 2025

Dear Lord Agnew,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your following Parliamentary Questions:

• To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, based on the latest approved business case, of the average cost per user of the Integrated Data Service, including a breakdown of how this cost is calculated (HL6020).

• To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity. (HL6094).

• To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24 (HL6095).

• To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been (HL6096).

The Integrated Data Programme (IDP) Business Case is being reviewed as part of Spending Review 2025. From when the Integrated Data Service (IDS) is fully operational, the current estimate of the average gross cost per user accessing the IDS is approximately £4,645 per year over the financial years 2026/2027 to 2028/2029. This cost is calculated by including the service support costs for users, the IT licensing and usage costs, and the platform operational management costs.

The current Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) has dedicated substantially more than 50% of their time to the Integrated Data Programme. The "red" delivery confidence assessment rating primarily relates to obtaining data owner permission for analysis, as highlighted in numerous other reports . Significant progress is being made in unblocking data flows, however senior sponsorship is still required to fully realise the benefits of mission delivery. We’re now making good progress in obtaining that sponsorship.

The annual cost of the service is now low. The majority of the expenditure has been invested in building infrastructure that is also used for other core ONS business and it is now ready for use.

Future funding of the IDP is under consideration as part of Spending Review 2025, the outcome of which will not be announced until 11 June 2025. All Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes are subject to an Accounting Officer assessment as part of established governance procedures.

The IDS was accredited under the Digital Economy Act (2017) in September 2023. The accreditation of the IDS under the DEA was reviewed after 12 months, in September 2024.

During the development of the platform prior to September 2023, the IDS was audited by the UKSA Research Accreditation Panel to establish the readiness of the IDS for DEA accreditation. These audits occurred in February 2023 and June 2023.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

1For further details, you can refer to the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority by Professor Denise Lievesley CBE and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base report.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Agnew of Oulton DL

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

1 April 2025

Dear Lord Agnew,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your following Parliamentary Questions:

• To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, based on the latest approved business case, of the average cost per user of the Integrated Data Service, including a breakdown of how this cost is calculated (HL6020).

• To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity. (HL6094).

• To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24 (HL6095).

• To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been (HL6096).

The Integrated Data Programme (IDP) Business Case is being reviewed as part of Spending Review 2025. From when the Integrated Data Service (IDS) is fully operational, the current estimate of the average gross cost per user accessing the IDS is approximately £4,645 per year over the financial years 2026/2027 to 2028/2029. This cost is calculated by including the service support costs for users, the IT licensing and usage costs, and the platform operational management costs.

The current Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) has dedicated substantially more than 50% of their time to the Integrated Data Programme. The "red" delivery confidence assessment rating primarily relates to obtaining data owner permission for analysis, as highlighted in numerous other reports . Significant progress is being made in unblocking data flows, however senior sponsorship is still required to fully realise the benefits of mission delivery. We’re now making good progress in obtaining that sponsorship.

The annual cost of the service is now low. The majority of the expenditure has been invested in building infrastructure that is also used for other core ONS business and it is now ready for use.

Future funding of the IDP is under consideration as part of Spending Review 2025, the outcome of which will not be announced until 11 June 2025. All Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes are subject to an Accounting Officer assessment as part of established governance procedures.

The IDS was accredited under the Digital Economy Act (2017) in September 2023. The accreditation of the IDS under the DEA was reviewed after 12 months, in September 2024.

During the development of the platform prior to September 2023, the IDS was audited by the UKSA Research Accreditation Panel to establish the readiness of the IDS for DEA accreditation. These audits occurred in February 2023 and June 2023.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

1For further details, you can refer to the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority by Professor Denise Lievesley CBE and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base report.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, based on the latest approved business case, of the average cost per user of the Integrated Data Service, including a breakdown of how this cost is calculated.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Agnew of Oulton DL

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

1 April 2025

Dear Lord Agnew,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your following Parliamentary Questions:

• To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, based on the latest approved business case, of the average cost per user of the Integrated Data Service, including a breakdown of how this cost is calculated (HL6020).

• To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity. (HL6094).

• To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24 (HL6095).

• To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been (HL6096).

The Integrated Data Programme (IDP) Business Case is being reviewed as part of Spending Review 2025. From when the Integrated Data Service (IDS) is fully operational, the current estimate of the average gross cost per user accessing the IDS is approximately £4,645 per year over the financial years 2026/2027 to 2028/2029. This cost is calculated by including the service support costs for users, the IT licensing and usage costs, and the platform operational management costs.

The current Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) has dedicated substantially more than 50% of their time to the Integrated Data Programme. The "red" delivery confidence assessment rating primarily relates to obtaining data owner permission for analysis, as highlighted in numerous other reports . Significant progress is being made in unblocking data flows, however senior sponsorship is still required to fully realise the benefits of mission delivery. We’re now making good progress in obtaining that sponsorship.

The annual cost of the service is now low. The majority of the expenditure has been invested in building infrastructure that is also used for other core ONS business and it is now ready for use.

Future funding of the IDP is under consideration as part of Spending Review 2025, the outcome of which will not be announced until 11 June 2025. All Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes are subject to an Accounting Officer assessment as part of established governance procedures.

The IDS was accredited under the Digital Economy Act (2017) in September 2023. The accreditation of the IDS under the DEA was reviewed after 12 months, in September 2024.

During the development of the platform prior to September 2023, the IDS was audited by the UKSA Research Accreditation Panel to establish the readiness of the IDS for DEA accreditation. These audits occurred in February 2023 and June 2023.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

1For further details, you can refer to the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority by Professor Denise Lievesley CBE and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base report.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they submitted (1) a costing note, or (2) a draft scorecard to the Office for Budget Responsibility for the updated versions of (a) the National Procurement Policy Statement, and (b) Procurement Policy Note 002, in accordance with paragraph 2.9 of the Memorandum of understanding between the Office for Budget Responsibility, HM Treasury, the Department for Work & Pensions, and HM Revenue & Customs, published on 9 November 2023.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The National Procurement Policy Statement and Procurement Policy Note 002, as Cabinet Office policies, are not subject to the requirements set out in paragraph 2.9 of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Office for Budget Responsibility, HM Treasury, the Department for Work & Pensions, and HM Revenue & Customs, published on 9 November 2023.

An impact assessment in relation to the Procurement Act and associated reforms was published in May 2022 and can be found at: https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/46429/documents/1767

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 19 February of Current PFI and PF2 projects as at 31 March 2024, why the A69 Carlisle to Newcastle project (project ID 245) incurred payments in 2023–24 of £14 million on a capital value of £9 million, and what proportion of those payments was for (1) lifecycle maintenance, and (2) capital repayment.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The A69 Carlise to Newcastle Project is a 30-year PFI project expiring in March 2026. At financial close in 1996, the project comprised of the design and build of Haltwhistle Bypass, a 2-mile section of the A69, and the maintenance and renewal of the 52-mile route between Carlisle and Newcastle for the 30-year contract period. The capital value in the 19 February published data refers to the cost of the design and construction of the Haltwhistle bypass.

The unitary payments to the PFI company (Road Link (A69) Limited) are an all-in payment that covers the overall services provided. This effectively includes amounts related to the original design and construction of the Bypass, as well as both the maintenance (routine and lifecycle) and operation of the longer stretch of road. However, the payment is not structured such that there are defined parts for each of the different elements within the services provided.

Road Link (A69) Limited will continue to incur maintenance, renewal and operating costs on the 52-mile route until the expiry next year. They will also incur costs related to their handback obligations to National Highways, which include extensive, independent surveys to confirm asset condition, and any costs to bring it up to the required condition, before the road is handed back to National Highways when the PFI expires.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government on which date each department submitted their final costings for new policy measures included in the Spring Statement 2025, and how many were submitted after the certification deadline set by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The OBR certification deadline refers to Policy Costing Notes. These documents outline the methodology used for costing policies. The OBR scrutinise them to determine that the costing is reasonable and central.

HM Treasury submitted notes for all policies to the OBR in advance of the certification deadline and an initial policy package was certified by the OBR.

The OBR noted in their March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook that 'relatively small changes were made to the policy parameters of two welfare measures following the costings certification deadline', the changes to the Universal Credit Health Element, and the Universal Credit Standard Allowance.

The OBR did not certify the costings for the final policy design for these measures, although they noted that the relatively small size of the changes means they 'do not expect this will have a material impact on the costings'.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 19 February of Current PFI and PF2 projects as at 31 March 2024, what assessment they have made of the total remaining public liability across all PFI contracts where (1) no equity holder is named, and (2) the special purpose vehicle is registered offshore.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

His Majesty’s Government is aware of a total of £5,242m of public liability across all PFI contracts represented by 33 projects, where the contracting authority has indicated they do not know who the equity holders are, and 44 projects, where the contracting authority has indicated they know who the equity holders are, but have not provided data to His Majesty’s Government. To our knowledge no Special Purpose Vehicles are registered off shore.

This information is provided by the central government departments and devolved administrations that have procured or sponsored projects and represents 98.7% of PFI projects on the portfolio provided a data return in 2024. With the eight projects that did not provide a return, the most recently available data from previous years is used.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 19 February of Current PFI and PF2 projects as at 31 March 2024, what is the total value of all unitary charge payments made on projects with (1) no equity holders listed, and (2) equity holders listed as "not known", in 2023–24.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The value of those charge payments where no equity holder is listed, where the contracting authority has indicated they do not know who the equity holders are, is £5,570m across 33 projects. Where the contracting authority has indicated they know who equity holders are but have not provided the information to His Majesty’s Government, thereby making it “not known”, represents £8,872m across 44 projects. Cumulatively both represent a total value of £14,442m for unitary charge payments made on projects.

Found: 1 April 2025 3.05 pm Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Wood of Anfield (The Chair); Lord Agnew of Oulton