Parliament’s ‘Wastefinder General’ on the ‘Big Nasties’

Parliament Matters

Following the Autumn Statement Mark and Ruth are joined this week by Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee in the House of Commons. The Committee is the financial watchdog that has been going since the days of William Gladstone.

As Parliament’s ‘Wastefinder General’, Dame Meg has got a list of ‘Big Nasties’: major public sector building projects that have been delayed due to cost pressures, sometimes for decades, but which are now at a point where they can longer be put off.

She outlines her concerns about one of those ‘Big Nasties’: the Restoration and Renewal of Parliament (or the R&R programme). It has been hit by a string of delays. There are serious concerns about health and safety, governance and the lack of transparency surrounding the project. After kicking the can down the road for years, who would want to be the Government if disaster strikes the Palace of Westminster?

• 🎓 Access resources about issues mentioned in this episode via our website here: hansardsociety.org.uk/news/parliament-matters-podcast-e5
• ❓ Submit your questions to us on all things Parliament using the form on our website here: hansardsociety.org.uk/pmuq
• 📱 Follow us across social media @HansardSociety
• ✅ Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates related to the Parliament Matters podcast and the wider work of the Hansard Society: hansardsociety.org.uk/nl
• 🪙 Support the Hansard Society by making a donation. We don't have a wealthy founder or an endowment. That's why donations are so important – they help to support our work AND our independence: hansardsociety.org.uk/donate

Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust • Produced by Luke Boga Mitchell, Hansard Society

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.