Is the Minister confident that his latest financial estimation for completion of the Heads of the Valleys dualling project will be met, and that no additional funding will be required?
To clarify the current position, the scheme budget has been increased by £113m (51%) since the start of construction in December 2014. Approximately £60m of this increase occurred during the last 18 months. The remaining £53m has been included in future budget profiles.
As I have highlighted previously, there is an ongoing contractual dispute with the scheme contractor, which is subject to continuing legal proceedings. The increased scheme budget includes all of the costs that Welsh Government consider they are liable to pay, however the scheme budget will not be finalised until the conclusion of the legal proceedings.