It has been revealed that an investigation is under way into allegations of irregular billing for workers building HS2.
A whistleblower claims that two companies supplying staff to contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI had charged for supplying them as if they were on PAYE, which would presumably have included national insurance, when in fact they were self-employed.
There is no suggestion that the Balfour Beatty VINCI consortium itself was responsible for any wrongful billing.
An HS2 investigation has started, but it is understood that neither the police nor HMRC are involved so far. One sub-contractor is reported to have been suspended from further work while enquiries continue, while another has had its suspension lifted ‘following a period of remediation’, although it is still being monitored closely.
HS2 Ltd said: ‘HS2 Ltd treats all whistleblower allegations seriously and we are aware of the claims made in relation to labour suppliers on part of the route. An investigation was launched earlier this year into a number of different allegations and our contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI has implemented additional monitoring and controls.’
The Department for Transport confirmed that both the government and HS2 Ltd ‘take all whistleblower allegations extremely seriously’.
It continued that there is a ‘zero-tolerance attitude towards fraud, bribery, and corruption. We will therefore ensure any claims of wrongdoing in HS2’s supply chain are thoroughly investigated.
‘We have taken action to grip the delivery of HS2, tasking CEO Mark Wild to fundamentally reset the project and change the company's culture and capability to deliver the line as cost effectively as possible.’
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