Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2016 to Question 48801, whether the remaining £22.5 million committed towards the Garden Bridge cannot be clawed back by his Department should the bridge not be built.

If the construction of the Garden Bridge were to be cancelled, the Department’s exposure to the project would be capped at £22.5 million. In such a scenario, the Department would be likely to claw back the unspent part of its original £30 million contribution from Transport for London by reducing a future GLA transport grant payment. The precise amount to be clawed back in this way would be determined after consultation with HM Treasury and the Mayor.