Thames Tideway Tunnel
(asked on 5th September 2014) - View Source
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the full burden of (a) demand, (b) construction and (c) availability risk for the Thames Tideway Tunnel project has been transferred from the Government to Thames Tideway Tunnel Limited; and what the effect of each such transfer has been on the UK national balance sheet under the guidance given in ESA 95 Manual Chapters VI.4 and VI.5.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a private sector project. The Government has never been responsible for ‘the full burden’ of the project referred to in the question. Until 5 June, Thames Water Utilities Ltd had full responsibility for the project.
On 5 June, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs tabled a Written Ministerial Statement informing the House that the Government had Specified the Thames Tideway Tunnel project, in accordance with the Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013. He also issued a Preparatory Work Notice for Thames Water Utilities Ltd requiring or permitting it to do certain preparatory work in relation to the Tunnel project.
The full statement is available here:
The full notices issued on 5 June, together with the reasons for exercising these powers are available here:
Specifying the project means that, other than those works described in the Preparatory Work Notice, Thames Water Utilities Ltd is prevented from undertaking the infrastructure project and is instead required to put it out to tender, by running a competitive procurement for an infrastructure provider which will finance and deliver the Tunnel that is separate from Thames Water.
The Government is confident that both the project and the infrastructure provider will be classified to the private sector, and will not impact the public balance sheet.