, author of the Dissenting
Report into HS2 in January of this year, welcomes the Public
Accounts Committee report issued today. The report is the first
time that a Parliamentary Committee has set out the failings in
transparency of the Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd.
into the development of the project, and the misleading information
that they have provided to parliament over the last few years.
said, “I am pleased that
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has taken steps to investigate
HS2, but it is clearly not enough. Unfortunately, the report has
failed to take into account the even earlier warnings that I, and
others, gave the Government several years previously about the
cost increases, and the failures of successive ministers to
properly inform Parliament.”
“HS2 Ltd. and those working on it at the DfT have had no regard
for proper process or Parliament. As recently as last month, why
did the DfT give the go ahead to begin building HS2 when it must
have known about the ongoing PAC review? It is very unlikely that
Parliament would have given approval had it been provided with
the necessary information in a timely manner.”
The situation is even worse than the PAC states.
With the evidence that it presents, the PAC says: ‘the failure of
the Accounting Officer to provide accurate information to
Parliament is potentially a breach of the Civil Service Code and
a breach of parliamentary Privilege.’ Since there is even more
detailed and earlier evidence than the PAC suggests, this makes
these failures even more serious.
continued, “I urge the PAC to
look at this further evidence, most of which it has already
received, and ask the Government to include this in their
response to the Committee.”
HS2 Post COVID-19
concluded, “The PAC has now
exposed the disregard for parliamentary trust, transparency,
probity and the failures of the civil service that have been
evident within HS2 for many years. Billions of taxpayers’ money
has already been wasted, and much more will be in the future
unless parliament and ministers get a grip.
‘It is time to cancel Phase 1 completely, allow work on parts of
HS2 in the regions to go ahead under the guidance of the National
Infrastructure Commission and Network Rail, and finally bury HS2,
the company HS2 Ltd and bring to book those who have allowed this
to happen.”
