Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Accepted
The 10-year infrastructure strategy aims to provide long-term stability and investor certainty.
Recommendation
The infrastructure strategy sets out government’s intention to provide long-term stability needed to attract investment, boost supply chains and jobs, and take a joined-up view to improve planning and delivery across infrastructure.50 We noted that the infrastructure strategy and pipeline will provide investor certainty and less pressure on suppliers, by ensuring there are not lots of projects going on at the same time which require the same contractors. We reported on the need for the infrastructure strategy 45 Q 47 46 Q 49 47 Q 50 48 Qq 59-60 49 Qq 64-65 50 HM Treasury, UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy, CP 1344, June 2025 16 and pipeline in our recent report on private finance for infrastructure, highlighting how a lack of a credible pipeline in previous years has made it challenging for organisations and investors in the sector to plan for the longer term.51
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that NISTA should outline milestones for achieving its strategic objectives, including how it will allocate its resources, with a target implementation date of Summer 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5. PAC conclusion: NISTA has a broad and stretching range of responsibilities, which will require it to juggle many competing demands on its resources. 5a. PAC recommendation: NISTA should outline milestones for achieving its strategic objectives, including how it will allocate its resources to deliver its objectives, and ensure it retains a focus on priority areas such as digital and transformation projects. 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2026 5.2 NISTA was launched earlier this year to bring together the strategic expertise of the National Infrastructure Commission and the project delivery expertise of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, creating a new single centre of expertise in relation to the planning for and delivery of major government projects and programmes. NISTA is a joint unit of HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, it will play a crucial role in advising ministers on major projects and infrastructure and will support departments in the planning, development and delivery phases of major projects in the contexts of defence, infrastructure and service transformation. Alongside this advisory role, it will set standards and improve the government’s project capabilities, by continuing to develop guidance and tools, delivering leadership and learning programmes, and effectively communicating lessons learned in relation to both best practice and challenges experienced across the government portfolio. 5.3 Drawing on the principles set out in the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, NISTA will progress strategic thinking in relation to social infrastructure needs and spatial planning at a national level. In relation to the Government Major Projects Portfolio, and in some other distinct instances, NISTA will continue to facilitate independent assurance reviews, as well as providing a route to specialist support. NISTA will seek to draw in industry expertise and best practice in the UK and internationally in delivering its remit, as well as making appropriate use of the Expert Advisory Chair and Membership to inform and critically challenge work as it is progressed.