Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance he has issued on the criteria for the classification of major projects; what documentation would be necessary to ensure classification as such a project; and whether a business case and impact assessment is required for classification as a major project.

The government provides the following definition for major projects on gov.uk:

‘Major projects are defined as those which:

● require spending over and above departmental expenditure limits

● require primary legislation

● are innovative or contentious’

It is the responsibility of the Major Projects Authority (MPA), following these criteria, to work with departments to identify which projects should form part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio. The Green Book, published by H M Treasury, requires a full appraisal of options before government decides to proceed with a particular project, and the recommendation resulting from that appraisal exercise must be reported. MPA is working with departments to improve the quality and clarity of business cases.

We have made valuable progress in supporting project leaders develop their skills through the award winning Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA) and Project Leadership Programme (PLP). 322 project leaders have been enrolled on the MPLA and 100 have graduated. We set up a pilot for the PLP in October for 48 participants across government. We intend to run the full PLP programme from June 15.