Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Accepted
Paragraph: 67
Simplify and make more accessible the reporting on RIS portfolio delivery progress
Conclusion
Understanding and scrutinising the delivery progress of a RIS portfolio, or given project is not simple. It involves cross-referencing several annual reporting documents from National Highways and the Office of Rail and Road which are not updated with changes made in the interim. This is not accessible or transparent, especially given the frequent and significant changes that can be made to the RIS programme. That the Minister responsible for strategic road investment was not able to provide us with an up-to-date progress report on the RIS 2 portfolio exemplifies how challenging it can be to track RIS progress. Reporting on the delivery of RIS portfolios must be simplified and made more accessible.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and will work with National Highways and the ORR to explore the opportunity for more frequent public project reporting in one place, while acknowledging that a genuinely 'live' update system is not practical.
Paragraph Reference:
67
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees with this recommendation. National Highways already maintains up to date project reporting through the National Highways ‘Our Roads’ web portal6. Project progress is regularly updated for each scheme including changes to baseline Start of Works, Open for Traffic, costs and planning status where applicable. There will be times when information on costs is commercially sensitive and needs to be withheld until the period of sensitivity has ended. The delivery commitments (Start of Works, Open for Traffic) within the RIS portfolio at the end of the financial year are provided annually by the National Highways’ Delivery Plan Update, published in July each year. This includes any changes that have been agreed during the year and presents the delivery commitments for all the major enhancement schemes in one table for each region of the country, not unlike a dashboard. While a genuinely ‘live’ update system would not be practical, it is recognised that there is an appetite for more frequent updates for the enhancements portfolio in a single dashboard format. The Government therefore agrees with the recommendation and will work closely with National Highways and the ORR, to explore the opportunity for more frequent public project reporting in one place. 6 https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/