I have today learnt that the report into the collapse of MG Rover has finally been submitted to the government.
Following the collapse of MG Rover in 2005 an independent inquiry was established to investigate what led to the collapse. After over four years, the independent inspectors appointed by the government have submitted their report to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
In reply to a parliamentary question I tabled asking about the progress of the inquiry, the Business Minister Ian Lucas said:
‘The inspectors delivered their report on 11 June 2009. It will be for my noble Friend the Secretary of State to consider its findings and next steps.
‘The total cost of the Rover inquiry as at 31 May 2009 was £15,922,838 (broken down as £13,134,334 in costs, £451,542 in disbursements and £2,336,962 in VAT).
‘The Inquiry was complex but the cost has been very high. The Government will carefully consider the approach to any future exercises of this sort with a view to minimising expense to the taxpayer.’
As the local MP for the Longbridge area, I have been vocal on the importance of the MG Rover Inquiry and the need for it to report as soon as possible. Like everybody else in the area I have found it incredibly frustrating that we have had to wait so long for this report. So I now hope that the contents of the inquiry will be made available as soon as possible.
The escalating cost of the inquiry has also been a matter of real concern to so many people, including me. Hopefully the contents of the report will provide some answers to why it has cost so much and I certainly welcome the government’s commitment to try to minimise the cost of any similar inquiries in the future. But the important thing now is to know what the report contains and I hope the government will be able to make a statement on that as soon as possible.
