Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Since the IPA’s remit covers the government major programmes portfolio, it does not extend to...
Conclusion
Since the IPA’s remit covers the government major programmes portfolio, it does not extend to the restoration and renewal of the Houses of Parliament, or the associated Northern Estates programme.54 The Restoration and Renewal programme is overseen by a Sponsor body and a Delivery authority, both of which are ultimately accountable to Parliament, and the IPA were not given a role in The Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019 (the Act) which set out how the Programme would be managed. The programme is highly complex with a number of uncertainties that underpin it, including the condition of the building, its interdependencies with other Parliamentary building projects, and the lack of consensus over the scope of the programme, and how to relocate staff as the programme is underway.55
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 6.2 The government recognises the importance of the Restoration and Renewal project and the complex challenge it presents. As the Committee acknowledges, R&R is a parliamentary rather than a government project. Therefore, it is not part of the GMPP and so not subject to HM Treasury Approval Points. While the IPA has provided informal advice at the request of the Sponsor Body and Delivery Authority, the IPA is not part of the ‘Parliamentary Relationship Agreement’ or the ‘Programme Delivery Agreement’, which formalise the programme’s assurance regime. The IPA can continue to provide informal advice on the project where requested, but with respect for the sovereignty of Parliament, any responsibility for formally scrutinising or assuring the project must be based on an invitation from Parliament and amendment to the existing agreements.