Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 10 January (HL5119), what contracts were entered into since June 2010 with Bain & Company by (1) the Cabinet Office, and (2) other government departments.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.
Individual contracts will contain clauses covering the conditions under which a contract may be terminated. It is for the contracting authority to determine what those conditions may be.
The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process. Individual contracting authorities are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the South African Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, published on 5 January, in particular its finding that Bain & Company acted "unlawfully"; and what plans they have to suspend the contracts of Bain & Company with government departments in light of this finding.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Individual contracts will contain clauses covering the conditions under which a contract may be terminated. It is for the contracting authority to determine what those conditions may be.
The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process. Individual contracting authorities are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to respond to the letter sent by Lord Hain to the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office sent on 1 December 2021 and 3 December 2021.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Officials have subsequently responded to the emails from the Noble Lord dated 1 and 3 December.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Maverick Citizen Cartel Power Dynamics in Zimbabwe, published on 9 February, what plans they have to impose further sanctions on ministers and officials in the government of Zimbabwe.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the report on 'Cartel Power Dynamics in Zimbabwe', published on 9 February by South Africa's Maverick Citizen. The UK is deeply worried about the state of the Zimbabwean economy, which continues to face unprecedented challenges largely due to corruption, and poor fiscal policies and economic mismanagement by the Government. The UK remains committed to reducing poverty and helping the people of Zimbabwe secure their constitutional freedoms.
On 1 February, we announced sanctions against four Zimbabwean security sector chiefs responsible for serious human rights violations under President Mnangagwa. These measures will be maintained as long as the situation on the ground justifies them. We will continue to look at how all the tools available to the UK, including the full range of sanctions regimes, can be used to encourage accountability and reform in Zimbabwe. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to international sporting organisations about the adoption of human rights principles for nations chosen to host international sporting events.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Participation in international sports events is a matter for the relevant international sports federations, and the national representatives to those federations. These bodies operate independently of government, and enshrine this political freedom in their rules and regulations.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they have proposed to sports administrators for the assessment of applications for the acquisition by foreign investors of (1) total, or (2) majority, ownership of sporting assets in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Acquisitions of sporting assets in the UK by foreign investors are a matter for the sports businesses themselves. The Government does not stipulate assessment criteria to sports bodies on acquisitions.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what daily rate they pay to senior executives from Boston Consulting Group to work on the COVID-19 testing system.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive. However, the payment rates are as per the Crown Commercial Service Framework rate card with discounts attained depending on value and length of role.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Bethell on 14 May (HL Deb, col 807), what is the average time in England between a test taking place in a care home and the results being delivered to its management. [T]
Answered by Lord Bethell
The care home tests are processed via the existing programme lab infrastructure, the lighthouse labs and Randox in Northern Ireland. Test turnaround times are consistent with the rest of the programme with over 97% of tests being returned within 48 hours. We continue to make progress on being able to return all results within 24 hours.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action has been taken by the HM Ambassador in Harare and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in relation to the reported attack, abduction and torture by security forces in Zimbabwe of Joana Mamombe and two of her colleagues from the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK is seriously concerned about the challenging human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It remains one of the UK's 30 Human Rights Priority Countries globally. The Minister for Africa spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June and expressed his [Minister Duddridge] deep concern regarding recent reports of the abduction and torture of three female opposition activists, including a Member of Parliament. He [Minister Duddridge] urged the Foreign Minister to ensure the Government of Zimbabwe makes concrete progress on human rights, including investigations into violations.
It is vital that the Zimbabwean authorities adhere to their international human rights obligations and respect their Constitution, which prohibits enforced disappearances and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. This was reiterated in a joint local statement issued on 20 May by the UK alongside other partners, including the European Union, France, Germany and the United States of America. The UK will continue to monitor developments closely and urge the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the application by the government of Zimbabwe to re-join the Commonwealth is suspended until any violations of human rights cease and are addressed, including the reported arrest, abduction and torture of Joana Mamombe, Netsai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiri on 13 May.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The decision regarding Zimbabwe's readmission would be for all Commonwealth members. However, the UK will only support readmission when Zimbabwe meets the admission requirements, complying with the values and principles set out in the Commonwealth Charter. These principles include respect for human rights and the rule of law. Disproportionate use of force by Zimbabwe's security forces, as seen in January 2019 and August 2019, and recent reports regarding the abduction and torture of three opposition activists, are clearly inconsistent with the Commonwealth Charter. The Minister for Africa made this clear when he spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June.