Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Rejected
Department delayed HS2 six-monthly report, providing limited new information to Parliament.
Recommendation
Prior to our evidence session, the Department had published its latest six-monthly update to Parliament in October 2022. It did not publish an update six months later in March 2023. Following our evidence session on 24 April 2023, the Department published its next six-monthly update on the HS2 programme on 19 June 2023.58 Our sister committee, the Transport Committee, held a session with the Department two days later, where it asked why the update had been delayed. The Department explained that a large part of the delay was due to the local election purdah period and that it would seek to return to the original timetable for future updates. The Transport Committee was also concerned about the lack of new information that would be expected in the update, for example updated costs using a more recent price base and an updated benefit-cost ratio. The Department told the Committee that work was ongoing and, if that was not completed in time to report as part of the next six-monthly update, it committed to find other means to provide the Committee with an update on the costs and benefits.59 Learning lessons
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, citing external factors for past delays but committing to timely future reports within 6 months. However, it specifically states that Benefit-Cost Ratios will not be included in these six-monthly reports, and updating the price base is subject to future agreement.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
5.4 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 5.5 External factors affected the department’s original plans for an earlier publication of the HS2 Parliamentary Report, which was further delayed as it has taken time to work through the implications of the 2023 Spring Budget. The department remains committed to transparency and providing a timely and accurate update on HS2 in the next Parliamentary Report. Details regarding the cost information reported in the Parliamentary Report provided in October 2022 are outlined in paragraph 5.2 above. 5.6 Reporting progress on the programme in 2019 values does not reflect the significant inflation that has occurred since and the department intend to work with HM Treasury to update the price base, subject to agreement between both parties. 5.7 The department provides Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCRs)s within business cases. This will not be included within the six-monthly reports to Parliament. 5.8 The department expects to publish the next report no later than 6 months after the previous one.