The Governance of Public Projects

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:43 pm on 23 September 2020.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 2:43, 23 September 2020

Llyr Gruffydd is right to point to what was a critical report from the Wales Audit Office. But it is important at the same time to recognise that the Welsh Government had already taken steps to improve its arrangements for approving business cases before the funding problems at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd came to light. And further improvements in Welsh Government processes have been embedded, reflecting the outcomes of that review into this project.

So, further Welsh Government internal audit work undertaken in 2014 stated that there was no evidence to suggest that the capital estates and facilities did not discharge their function with monitoring the project, and it's very important as well to recognise that, in 2017, the Auditor General for Wales published a report that was called 'Implementation of the NHS Finances (Wales) Act 2014', and within that report there was recognition of the steps that we have taken in Welsh Government, and steps taken by the NHS capital estates and facilities team to significantly strengthen its review of capital projects. And the report said that there are significant lessons and good practice that can be learnt from the approach taken in the Welsh Government's NHS capital programme. So, while I would absolutely acknowledge those issues that were highlighted in the report, it is also important, I think, to acknowledge the progress and improvement that has happened since.