Despite clear warning signs, the Department proceeded with an unrealistic implementation timescale for the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme. The Department had twelve weeks to set up the Scheme from announcement to launch. It was confident this was possible based on previous schemes, and felt the pace was necessary due to the need to boost jobs at a time of economic risk and to start installations before winter. However, this limited timeframe put immense constraints on design, consultation and procurement, at a time when the Department’s own delivery capacity in terms of personnel and skills was under strain as it responded to the impact of Covid-19, for example supporting vaccine procurement, the various business loan schemes, as well as its other building decarbonisation schemes. This Committee has previously highlighted that Government should be willing to halt schemes when they are not ready for implementation. However, here the Department 6 Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme proceeded despite its own assessment, and that of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, that the Scheme was high risk, and after its Projects and Investment Committee rejected the Scheme’s Full Business Case just prior to launch. The Accounting Officer’s decision to proceed was partly due to reasoning the Scheme would likely achieve value for money even if it did not spend its full budget. We question whether this justification was sufficient, given Managing Public Money principles require consideration of a programme’s feasibility, as well as its potential value for money. Recommendation: The Department should: • set out how it will improve its approach to testing and assuring the readiness of new programmes; and • where the Department is unable to take these actions, consider requesting a Ministerial Direction, bearing in mind its obligations under Managing Public Money to have regard for the feasibility of what is being proposed.