Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham (HL391), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, whether they intend to review the processes and systems of supervision and governance in respect of projects commissioned by the Government.

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) is the government’s centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects. The IPA leads the government project delivery function and sits at the heart of government, reporting to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. The IPA and HM Treasury have the final decision on which projects and programmes join the Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP). The IPA is responsible for the tracking and monitoring of GMPP projects. The IPA supports GMPP projects with expert advice and support, intervening early to ensure that projects are set up for success. Overall accountability to Parliament sits with responsible Accounting Officers; this includes supervising their governance processes and monitoring performance to ensure they are sufficient and proportionate. For projects not part of the GMPP, where IPA does not provide independent assurance, it is the responsibility of the Accounting Officer to ensure that a suitable assurance process is in place.

The IPA was established to provide support to priority projects. However, in recent years the IPA has developed a number of tools to support Accounting Officers and senior project leaders across government to set projects up for success. These tools are reviewed periodically to ensure they reflect current best practice.