Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to increase opportunities for small businesses across the UK to bid for Government contracts.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK spends a huge sum on public procurement each year. Now that we have left the EU transition period, we aim to make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for SMEs and social enterprises to bid for government contracts, building on work that my Rt Hon Friend pursued at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy including to support SMEs in our wider economy.
Further details of our approach are set out in our Procurement Green Paper.
We have already introduced a policy which will allow below threshold contracts to be reserved for smaller UK suppliers.
In addition, our new approach to social value will secure wider public benefit, by allowing us to contract with firms that deliver more apprenticeships, local growth opportunities and environmental benefits.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what progress has been made on the installation of a lift inside Elizabeth Tower.
Answered by Pete Wishart
A lift is being installed in the Elizabeth Tower as part of the Elizabeth Tower refurbishment project. The majority of the lift infrastructure has now been installed and is currently being tested and commissioned by the contractor.
At present there is only a single spiral staircase with 334 steps. The lift is being installed into an existing ventilation shaft to improve safety and to help reduce the time it would take to evacuate a person from the Tower in the event of a medical emergency. The lift will also improve both security and access to the Great Clock for maintenance purposes.
The maximum size of the lift is constrained by the Tower’s original design. The restricted dimensions of the ventilation shaft mean that it is not possible to install a lift that is fully compliant with the relevant legislation. In the New Year teams from across the House will be evaluating how to improve disabled access to the Elizabeth Tower. This work will include exploring how visitors with different access requirements can find out more about the Elizabeth Tower and learn about its history. Making sure as many people as possible are able to learn about and visit the Tower is a key objective.