The head of the National Audit Office (NAO), Comptroller and Auditor General, Gareth Davies, argued in 2024 that improving productivity in government could release tens of billions of pounds worth of public money for other priorities. He pointed to past NAO work on High Speed 2 (HS2) and the New Hospital Programme as suggestive of a governance problem in Whitehall – two examples of “mega projects which are arguably too large for the risks to be manageable by the relevant departments and their arms-length bodies.”
The PAC has long scrutinised the governance of major projects. Its 2024 report on delivering value from government investment in major infrastructure warned that the UK Government and wider economy lacked the necessary skills and capacity to deliver ambitious plans over the ensuing five years. It also predicted that skills shortages in technical and engineering disciplines were set to worsen, with gaps in the UK’s workforce compounded by competition from major global development projects.
The NAO’s 2025 report explored why governance arrangements that look suitable on paper do not always work as intended in practice, with lessons and insights drawn on successfully delivery and value for money. Based on the NAO report, the PAC will hear from senior Treasury officials on topics including governance and decision-making structures on Government projects and information that has fed into key decisions on projects.
Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere.
Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues.