Became Member: 16th October 2008
Left House: 16th January 2022 (Death)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Myners, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Lord Myners has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Lord Myners has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.
The Services Committee considered the possibility of introducing electric vehicle charging (EVC) points at its meeting on 14 March 2019. The Committee declined to agree a proposal to introduce EVC points to the House of Lords. Although the Committee recognised the benefits, it did not believe it was the appropriate time to implement the scheme.
Amongst other factors, the Committee considered the location and impact of the EVC points, the longevity of the proposed installation of charging points, which risked being decommissioned when Restoration and Renewal commenced, the need for a long term vision for EVC across the Estate, and concerns that the proposal did not provide value for money.
Officials at the Department for Business have discussed with Barclays the rationale for the proposed closure of its branch in St Agnes. Ultimately, however, the decision on whether to retain a branch in the town is a matter for the management of the bank who will need to balance customer interests, market competition and other commercial factors.
The Government, nonetheless, recognises that bank branch closures can have a significant impact on customers, particularly vulnerable customers such as the elderly, the disabled, those on low incomes, and small businesses. It is therefore pressing the banking sector to finalise a new branch closure protocol.
The Government is also clear that there is an important role to play for Post Office in maintaining communities’ physical access to banking services. Barclays (and most other banks) have commercial arrangements in place with Post Office allowing personal current account customers to withdraw money and deposit cash and cheques at Post Office branches, including the one in St Agnes. Approximately 95% of UK personal account customers are already able to access banking services at the Post Office, and negotiations are underway to increase this coverage to closer to 100%.
The Insolvency Service will consider the conduct of the directors of City Link in connection with the management of the company. This would include any issues associated with financial support offered by its owner or by third parties.
It is not uncommon that an insolvent company has insufficient money to pay their creditors in full - including employees - and that is why there are special arrangements for employees who are made redundant on the insolvency of their employer. These provisions ensure employees receive a basic minimum of the debts owed by the employer from the National Insurance Fund.
It is too early to provide an estimate of the cost of the payments to former employees of City Link. However, I can confirm that there are statutory limits on these payments, such as the £464 cap on a week’s pay.
Quindell plc is Alternative Investment Market (AIM) listed which is controlled by London Stock Exchange and any enquiry relating to possible market abuse sits within the remit of the Financial Conduct Authority.
The Government’s Insolvency Service has discretionary powers under the Companies Acts to conduct enquiries on behalf of the Secretary of State where it appears that there has been misconduct in relation to the affairs of any company, including those not subject to formal insolvency.
For the investigation process to be effective it is essential to maintain confidentiality at all stages and there is also a need to protect the commercial interest of companies against the danger of damage from malicious complaints. For these reasons there are legal restrictions on disclosing information obtained during an enquiry and The Service does not confirm or deny whether an investigation of a particular company is taking place.
Where other regulators and investigating agencies are involved, the Insolvency Service would liaise closely to ensure public money is not wasted duplicating resources.
The Government Legal Department (GLD) conducts civil litigation on behalf of most government departments and many (but not all) executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
GLD has no record of any injunctions obtained by Sir Philip Green, or any entity known by GLD to be connected with him, against any of the departments, agencies or bodies to which GLD provides litigation services.
The Government recognises the legitimate desire in Parliament, from Members on all sides and in both Houses, to understand the legal implications of the final Withdrawal Agreement. The Government will therefore make available to all members of Parliament a full, reasoned position statement, setting out the Government’s agreed legal position on the Agreement, including the Irish backstop proposals. The Attorney will also make a statement to the House of Commons and take questions. This will help to ensure Parliament has all appropriate information ahead of the vote on the final deal.
We expect the Attorney General’s statement to be repeated in the Lords, with questions.
As outlined in my response on 29 April, the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is a statutory independent office holder responsible for maintaining the lobbying register. The Registrar's investigations and decisions must be made independently of the Government.
Details of the Registrar’s investigations are published on the website of the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists at https://registrarofconsultantlobbyists.org.uk and his Office can be contacted at enquiries@orcl.gov.uk.
The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is a statutory independent office holder responsible for maintaining the lobbying register. The Registrar's investigations and decisions must be made independently of the Government.
Details of the Registrar’s investigations are published on the website of the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists at https://registrarofconsultantlobbyists.org.uk/, and his Office can be contacted at enquiries@orcl.gov.uk.
Cabinet Office does not have records of Bill Crothers working on project work or any other work during the specified time.
With regard to his consultancy company, details of Government contracts above £10,000 should be published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.
I also refer the noble peer to the letters on the ACOBA website relating to business appointments and Mr Crothers.
Ministers and permanent secretaries’ meetings on official government business with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and are made available on GOV.UK.
The Prime Minister has asked Mr Boardman to conduct a review that will look into the decisions taken around the development and use of supply chain finance (and associated schemes) in government, especially the role of Lex Greensill and Greensill Capital. The full terms of reference are set out at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-into-the-development-and-use-of-supply-chain-finance-in-government-terms-of-reference.
The review will report to the Prime Minister by 30 June 2021. The Government will publish and present to Parliament the Review’s findings and the Government’s response in due course thereafter.
Correspondence between the Cabinet Office and the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crothers-bill-government-chief-commercial-officer-cabinet-office-acoba-recommendation.
The Prime Minister has asked Mr Boardman to conduct a review that will look into the decisions taken around the development and use of supply chain finance (and associated schemes) in government, especially the role of Lex Greensill and Greensill Capital. The full terms of reference are set out at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-into-the-development-and-use-of-supply-chain-finance-in-government-terms-of-reference.
The review will report to the Prime Minister by 30 June 2021. The Government will publish and present to Parliament the Review’s findings and the Government’s response in due course thereafter.
Correspondence between the Cabinet Office and the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crothers-bill-government-chief-commercial-officer-cabinet-office-acoba-recommendation.
The Prime Minister has asked Mr Boardman to conduct a review that will look into the decisions taken around the development and use of supply chain finance (and associated schemes) in government, especially the role of Lex Greensill and Greensill Capital. The full terms of reference are set out at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-into-the-development-and-use-of-supply-chain-finance-in-government-terms-of-reference.
The review will report to the Prime Minister by 30 June 2021. The Government will publish and present to Parliament the Review’s findings and the Government’s response in due course thereafter.
Correspondence between the Cabinet Office and the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crothers-bill-government-chief-commercial-officer-cabinet-office-acoba-recommendation.
The Prime Minister has asked Mr Boardman to conduct a review that will look into the decisions taken around the development and use of supply chain finance (and associated schemes) in government, especially the role of Lex Greensill and Greensill Capital. The full terms of reference are set out at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-into-the-development-and-use-of-supply-chain-finance-in-government-terms-of-reference.
The review will report to the Prime Minister by 30 June 2021. The Government will publish and present to Parliament the Review’s findings and the Government’s response in due course thereafter.
Correspondence between the Cabinet Office and the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crothers-bill-government-chief-commercial-officer-cabinet-office-acoba-recommendation.
The Prime Minister has announced that a new Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will be set up to refresh the strategy on making better regulation outside the EU, reviewing existing rules and cutting red tape for businesses.
Membership of Cabinet Committees is regularly published on GOV.UK. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
The government receives regular advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, including on the Christmas period. All the advice received on this matter has been published on Gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies.
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal briefings are not normally disclosed.
We want to reach an agreement and believe there is time to do so. We will continue to work hard to achieve it.
In all our trade negotiations, including in our ongoing negotiations with the EU, we consistently make proposals which provide for open and fair competition, on the basis of high standards, in a way which is appropriate to a modern free trade agreement between sovereign and autonomous equals.
Civil servants have continued to work throughout the pandemic to deliver public services and support the Government. There are no plans to centrally publish the information requested.
To protect the interests of all involved the Government does not comment on the specifics of ongoing process.
The Prime Minister will make any decision on the matter public once the process has concluded.
The Government should set a strong example by paying subcontractors promptly. Our commitment is to pay 90% of undisputed and valid invoices from small and medium-sized enterprises within 5 days and 100% of all undisputed and valid invoices within 30 days. Government departments are required to report their performance against these payment targets on a quarterly basis on GOV.UK.
Through the Public Contract Regulations 2015, public sector buyers must include 30-day payment terms in new public sector contracts; and require that this payment term be passed down the supply chain. Since 1 September 2019, suppliers risk being excluded from winning large government contracts if they cannot demonstrate prompt payment.
Records of Government contracts above £10,000 in central government and £25,000 in the wider public sector are published on Contracts Finder:
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search
Details of spends over £25,000 are published on gov.uk:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dit-departmental-spending-over-25000
Responding to the findings of the Green Review, HMG took steps to increase efficiency across Government. This included work to enable the UK public sector to get better value from its procurement of common goods and services which is now being taken forward by the Crown Commercial Service.
The Government has published details of savings made through efficiency and reform each year since 2010. The most up-to-date figures are contained in the Crown Commercial Service 2017-18 Annual Report which details £354 million in commercial benefits including savings for central government and £247 million for the wider public sector in that financial year.
Prior to 2017, the Forfeiture Committee met to consider cases on an ad-hoc basis, or by correspondence as business required. The Committee now only meets formally and in person. Since 2017 has met on three occasions, and it last met in September 2018.
We have implemented the key recommendations on public sector procurement made by the Efficiency Review in 2010. There are no current plans to review these recommendations.
However, best practice guidance for public sector procurement is regularly published as procurement policy notes on GOV.UK at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/procurement-policy-notes
Julie Scattergood was the Crown Representative for Carillion from April 2014 to August 2017.
We do not publish officials’ CVs. However, we believe she had the necessary qualifications for the appointment.
Our Priority is the continuity of public services.
Contractually, the partners to those Joint Ventures are required to deliver the requirements of the Joint Venture if one of the partners fails.
We routinely stress-test contracts to ensure that if one party within a contract fails to deliver, the other parties involved will step in to complete the work. Individual contracts for these Joint Ventures are not held centrally.
It is the responsibility of individual Contracting Authorities to assess the financial stability of potential suppliers as part of normal procurement activity.
A list of Crown Representatives and strategic suppliers is attached.
This list is updated periodically.
Crown representatives are contractors assigned to companies where they have knowledge of the sector, but where there is no conflict with other concurrent roles. They are not political appointees and they have no authority to take procurement decisions.
A list of Crown Representatives and strategic suppliers is attached.
This list is updated periodically.
Crown representatives are contractors assigned to companies where they have knowledge of the sector, but where there is no conflict with other concurrent roles. They are not political appointees and they have no authority to take procurement decisions.
In line with all central Government contracts, details of the work PwC are undertaking will be made available on Contracts Finder in due course.
This Government recognises the importance of managing relationships with Strategic Suppliers and their performance on a cross-Government basis, and has developed a range of strategies to do this, including the use of Crown Representatives.
The role of Crown Representative for Carillion was vacant for three months between August and November 2017 following the retirement of the previous post holder. During this period, the Crown representative responsibilities were covered by the Government’s Chief Commercial officer and the Cabinet Office Director of Markets and Suppliers.
Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:
https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive
Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search
Information on whether or not open book processes were used is not held centrally.
Following the news of the collapse of Carillion, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee launched an inquiry into how the Government and public sector manages the risks of outsourcing the delivery of public services. The government will fully cooperate with this Inquiry.
The relevant Carillion contracts are those drawn up under the Public Contracts regulations 2015. These are set out in the Regulations to ensure consistency of understanding and interpretation and be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/contents/made
The independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments provides its advice direct to the former Minister in question.
The Committee’s final advice is published online when an appointment has been taken up and/or publicly announced. Until this point, the process is confidential between the Committee and the former Minister in question, to allow for free and frank discussion.
The Government believes that the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments discharges its remit effectively and efficiently.
The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
I refer the noble Lord to the answers I gave him on 11 April 2016 to Question HL7227 and on 9 May to Question HL7900.
We have published details of savings made through efficiency and reform each year since 2010-11. The most recent report can be found on www.gov.uk.
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 11 April 2016 to Question HL7227.
As a result of the commercial and procurement reforms we made during the life of the last Parliament, we saved more than £21 bn.
Sir Phillip's report contributed enormously to the development of the Coalition Government's policies in respect of common goods and services. Many of the recommendations have been taken forward, including the creation of the Crown Commercial Service. The Crown Commercial Service brings together policy, advice and direct buying, providing commercial services to the public sector and saving money for the taxpayer.
The 2016 Budget announced that The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, with the support of the Minister for the Cabinet Office, will lead an efficiency review, reporting in 2018. We will set out details of this in due course.
The date on which Parliament will return will be set out in a Royal Proclamation from Her Majesty the Queen.
Lord Green was a member of the Banking Reform Committee for the period 11 January 2011 to 11 December 2013. His interest in HSBC is a matter of public record. As was the case under previous administrations, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet and which Ministers have attended, is generally not disclosed.
Lord Green was a member of the Banking Reform Committee for the period 11 January 2011 to 11 December 2013. His interest in HSBC is a matter of public record. As was the case under previous administrations, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet and which Ministers have attended, is generally not disclosed.
As was the case under previous administrations, ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister, in line with the Ministerial Code.
For those individuals upon whom the Prime Minister wishes to confer a life peerage, the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission vets nominations. For those individuals upon whom the Prime Minister wishes to confer a peerage in order that they might sit in the House of Lords to take up a ministerial role, the Commission consults the main regulatory authorities, including HMRC, before giving advice.
The Maxwellisation process is a matter for the Inquiry; Sir John Chilcot has described the process as essential and confidential, and to comment further might jeopardise the confidentiality of the process. Once his report is complete, Sir John Chilcot will deliver it to the Prime Minister. It is for Government to publish the report, and once it is delivered we expect to publish without delay.
The daily fees for the Chair and Members of the Inquiry are published on the Inquiry’s website.
The Maxwellisation process is a matter for the Inquiry; Sir John Chilcot has described the process as essential and confidential, and to comment further might jeopardise the confidentiality of the process. Once his report is complete, Sir John Chilcot will deliver it to the Prime Minister. It is for Government to publish the report, and once it is delivered we expect to publish without delay.
The daily fees for the Chair and Members of the Inquiry are published on the Inquiry’s website.