Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 19
44th Report - Governance and decision-making on major projects
Published 10 Sep 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Governance and decision-making on major projects All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
On the 31 March 2024, the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) included 227 projects at a combined whole-life cost of £834 billion. NISTA needs to gain assurance about progress with major projects as this helps it to challenge projects to take corrective action and gives sponsors confidence in how they are progressing. Those involved in governance need to think through what internal and external assurance they need, when they will need it, what skills and experience this will require, and how the various types of assurance fit together in an integrated assurance plan. If assurance is designed badly, there is a risk that it becomes ongoing non- expert commentary which could cause delay and confuse accountability.36 We have repeatedly raised concerns over the Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd having the skills and capability they need to lead the High Speed Two programme effectively and credibly.37 The Stewart Review found that HS2 Ltd and DfT as the Sponsor have been consistently underpowered in performing their roles. HS2 Ltd has lacked the capability to deal with the size and complexity of the project and DfT Sponsor team lacking the commercial and delivery experience as a client on major infrastructure projects.38
From: Public Accounts Committee, 44th Report - Governance and decision-making on major projects (HC 642), 10 September 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-fourth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 10 November 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-Fourth report from Session 2024-26
Published 19 January 2026.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it "agrees with the Committee's recommendation" in each of the responses set out, with some marked as implemented and others given target dates.
- On the Committee's request for a 12-month update on mega-project governance, the government agrees, with a target implementation date of September 2026; the Treasury "will write to the Committee".
- On the £10 billion mega-project threshold and on alignment with Mission and place-based governance, the government agrees and records both recommendations as implemented, stating the Treasury "has written to the Committee".
- On assurance, NISTA "will be reviewing and consulting on the assurance framework holistically"; the Treasury will tie higher Delegated Authority Limits to departments evidencing compliance with standards.
- On reporting, the government agrees; NISTA "will consider how" existing reporting can be integrated with reporting against the Strategy, and the infrastructure pipeline "will be updated at least every six months".