Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Require the Department to report on lessons learned and their practical implementation to the Committee.
Conclusion
Over the last decade the Department and HS2 Ltd have repeatedly said they are learning lessons but there is little evidence that lessons have been applied effectively and mistakes avoided. Since 2013, the Department and HS2 Ltd have told the Committee that they have been learning lessons. This has included areas such as around management of costs and schedule. The Department and HS2 Ltd say that they are still drawing on work already completed on HS2 to learn lessons for future delivery and have worked with HM Treasury and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to consider all the lessons to date. However, escalating costs, programme delays and rescoping demonstrate that the Department and HS2 Ltd have not implemented these lessons effectively. recommendation Alongside its Treasury Minute response, the Department should write to the committee setting out the key lessons they have drawn and then, in its six–monthly update, explain how those lessons have been put into practice. 8 1 Resetting the HS2 programme Introduction
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to work with HM Treasury and NISTA to identify and apply key lessons from the HS2 programme during the reset, incorporating findings from the Major Transport Projects Governance and Assurance Review. They will write to the Committee outlining these lessons and provide further updates in the next Parliamentary report.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. closely with HM Treasury and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority to identify key lessons from the programme and how those can be applied. Over the course of the HS2 programme reset and transformation of HS2 Ltd, the department aims to implement these lessons. The department will also take into account the findings of the Major Transport Projects Governance and Assurance Review, led by James Stewart, many of which will be implemented as part of the programme reset. Lessons from HS2 are also being shared with the Inter-Ministerial Group for Infrastructure, NISTA and the Office for Value for Money so that they can be taken into account across Government. The department will write to the Committee outlining the key areas of lessons and will provide further updates in the next Parliamentary report.