Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Leong on 16 September, what requirements they are including in invitations to tender for public sector construction contracts relating to the provision of apprenticeship opportunities and adult skills training by contractors and subcontractors.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government is committed to ensuring that public procurement supports British businesses and helps to build a fairer economy, delivering jobs, skills and opportunities in every postcode.
The new Social Value Model will ensure that contracts valued at £1m and above, but less than £5m, apply a minimum 10% weighting (or equivalent measurement), and contracts valued at £5m or above, apply a minimum 20% weighting (or equivalent measurement), of the total score given to tenders. These will support apprenticeships and other forms of training in construction and other sectors.
Full details of the policy can be found here PPN 026: The Social Value Model (HTML) - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of productivity in the building industry; and what steps they are taking to improve it.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
An ONS study in 2021 (Productivity in the construction industry, UK - Office for National Statistics) concluded that both the level of productivity, and the rate of productivity improvement in the construction sector, have historically been below that of the wider economy, and have not changed much in decades.
The Government is addressing this challenge through investing £625m in the Construction Skills Challenge, £85m in the Industrialising and Digitalising Construction Challenge, and has also worked with the industry to develop a Publicly Available Specification, PAS 4010, which will create a consistent approach to managing productivity improvement in the sector.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases were considered by the Certification Officer in the last year and in how many cases they upheld the complaint of the applicant.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Details of the cases considered by the Certification Officer, including those upheld, are published in the Certification Officer’s Annual Report.
In the 2024–25 reporting year, the Certification Officer issued formal decisions on 13 complaints, of which 1 was upheld.
For the 2025–26 reporting year, the Annual Report has not yet been published. However, the Certification Officer issued 15 formal decisions covering 46 complaints. Of these, 7 were upheld, 33 were not upheld, 4 were struck out, and 2 were dismissed following withdrawal.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to supporting the smelting of scrap copper in the UK instead of exportation.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Government recognises copper’s importance, which is why DBT designated copper a growth mineral in the Critical Minerals (CM) Strategy and funded a study by the CM Intelligence Centre assessing copper scrap and waste flows, to help inform circularity in the UK.
This government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are in use for longer and waste is designed out. Defra will soon publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan setting out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. We will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate interventions needed.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Lloyd of Effra on 20 October (HL10843), whether the Department and Minister have any oversight or responsibility for the Certification Officer and the fulfilment of their duties and responsibilities.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Certification Officer accounts to Parliament by making their annual report, which is laid before Parliament and published by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State has the power to remove the Certification Officer, but only where the Certification Officer has been adjudged bankrupt, convicted of a criminal offence, has demonstrated misconduct, is incapacitated, or is otherwise unable or unfit to hold the office.
However, the Certification Officer is independent in how they exercise their statutory functions.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 12 December 2024 (HL2726), what assessment they have made of whether the Certification Officer is fulfilling their duties to ensure that unions provide their accounts as required by section 32 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 12 December 2024, I can only reiterate that it is not for Government to compel a union to provide its annual return. That is for the Certification Officer, who is independent of Government.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy regarding the appointment of representatives of workers on to public boards and advisory bodies.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The appointments of worker representatives onto public boards and advisory bodies are dependent on the legislation associated with its membership and follow the appropriate public appointments recruitment processes.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the enforcement of section 32 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 by the Certification Officer.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Section 32 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 requires a trade union to send an annual report to the Certification Officer.
The Certification Officer is the regulator of trade unions and employer associations. The Certification Officer has the power to require a union to provide its annual return. The annual return must include, among other things, details of the union’s finances for the reporting year.
It is not for Government to compel a union to provide its annual return. That is for the Certification Officer, who is independent of Government.