Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, If she will take steps to reduce the delivery times of transport infrastructure projects.

Yes. Within the Department for Transport, we have a well-established programme that is applying lessons from recent reviews, including the James Stewart Review, Lovegrove, and Competitions and Market Authority, to strengthen sponsorship, governance, capability, cost control, and early planning across major transport projects. The evidence is clear that projects are delivered faster and with greater confidence when they are set up properly at the start: clear scope, realistic cost and schedule estimates, effective commercial strategies and accountable decision-making are critical to avoiding delay later in delivery.

More broadly, the Government is taking steps to reduce the time it takes to deliver transport infrastructure projects, while maintaining proper scrutiny, value for money and safety. The 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy sets out a more stable, long-term approach to infrastructure planning and delivery, giving public bodies, investors, and supply chains greater certainty about the pipeline of work ahead.

The Department for Transport is supporting the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority to bring together infrastructure strategy, assurance, and delivery expertise at the centre of government. This will support departments to unblock barriers, strengthen project set-up and improve the way major projects are planned, governed, and delivered.