Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Government Projects: Cost to Public Purse

Thursday 16 March 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Infrastructure and Projects Authority uses standards, tools, and training to ensure Government projects are set up for success and to reduce costs.
  • The Minister agrees that value for money must be demanded in appointments and that excessive salaries from the public purse need to be capped.
  • The Minister suggests a focus on internal skill development and emphasizes that Departments must ensure they get value for money in their spending.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rob Roberts
Economy
Context

The question addresses the need to reduce costs in public sector projects.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the cost to the public purse of Government projects?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority's standards, tools and training for Government projects help to ensure that projects are set up for success. The IPA's transforming infrastructure performance programme is helping to reduce the cost of projects.

Answered
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Q2 Rob Roberts
Taxation Employment
Context

The question highlights the issue of public sector workers earning more than the Prime Minister, including £620,000 paid to the chief executive of HS2 Ltd.

Question

Does the Minister agree that we have to demand value for money from such appointments and cap excessive salaries from the public purse?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

I agree with my hon. Friend that it is essential that we get value for money from the investments we make in our people. There is a role for well-paid people to deliver important projects for the people of this country, but I assure him that any payments above £150,000—that covers the entire remuneration package, not just the salary—must be not only justified by the relevant Department, but personally signed off by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who takes a very close interest in such matters.

Answered
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Q3 Margaret Ferrier SNP
Context

The question addresses the lifting of caps on consultancy spending by Government Departments.

Question

Will the Minister reinstate the cap and instead focus on the internal development of skills?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

There is a difference between a cap and a control, and it is up to Departments to ensure that they are getting value for money in what they spend. Cutting bureaucracy and cutting exercises that take up a lot of civil service time but that are not productive is a good thing. There is a role for consultancy, alongside growing and nurturing the resources inside the service.

Partly answered

Not addressed: reinstating the cap on consultancy spending

How: Cutting Bureaucracy, Growing Internal Talent

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