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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