§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what monitoring his Department undertakes of Private Finance Initiative contracts undertaken by local government; and if he will make a statement. [129205]
§ Ms Beverley HughesFollowing endorsement by the inter-departmental Project Review Group, progress on prospective schemes is monitored to ensure that the final contract conforms with the approved business case. Following contract signature, the Department will be notified of when service payments commence. Payments and grant paid to the local authority are then monitored and subsequently audited by the Audit Commission. It is important that lessons are learnt from existing contracts. All authorities are required to share non-commercial documentation with other local authorities procuring similar projects, and lessons are used in the production of standardised contract documentation and other best-practice guidance.