§ 26. Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the report of the National Audit Office on the cost of overruns and delays in his Department's projects. [90225]
§ Mr. SpellarIt is open to the Committee of Public Accounts to decide to take evidence on the Comptroller and Auditor General's Report on the Major Projects Report 1998 (HC 519 Sessions 1998–99). In accordance with the usual convention on committee business I cannot offer any comment which might pre-empt the Committee's consideration. However, the Comptroller and Auditor General's Report makes clear that the cost overruns and time delays in question have accumulated over a number of years and acknowledges that the Smart Procurement initiative has been launched to tackle these problems.