2.27 Departments comply with the new system to varying degrees. Some departments have yet to implement integrated assurance and approval plans, and government major project portfolio data has been of variable quality. Departments are also responsible for providing staff for review teams. However, only the Effciency and Reform Group (within the Cabinet Office) requires its senior civil servants to serve as reviewers.
2.28 At a senior level, we found that HM Treasury engages with the central assurance system less well than we would have expected. While it is true that at a working level there is positive engagement, senior sponsorship is important. The senior officials from HM Treasury's Public Spending Group only attended two of the six Authority board meetings between April and December 2011, while a representative of Infrastructure UK, a unit within HM Treasury, attended four out of the six. Counting attendance at meetings has the advantage of being factual, but also has potential limitations. However, the measure is reinforced by the NAO study team's more qualitative impression of the relationship.
2.29 Departments raised concerns about the links between assurance and approval for the Authority and HM Treasury, and that required elsewhere in the Cabinet Office for ICT projects. There are separate Cabinet Offce controls for those projects with any ICT component over £5 million (or £1 million for ICT systems that support administration).13 Department project teams are unclear on how the ICT approvals align to the HM Treasury approval process for major projects.
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13 The £5 million delegated limit can be raised up to a maximum of £20 million by agreement with Cabinet Office.