Subsidy Control Bill (Eighth sitting)

Debate between Bill Esterson and Michael Tomlinson

Thursday 4th November 2021 Public Bill Committees

[The Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty’s Treasury (Michael Tomlinson)]

Very good.

[Bill Esterson]

I say to the hon. Member who spoke from a sedentary position that it was not very good. As we have said throughout the—

[Michael Tomlinson]

For Mid Dorset and North Poole.

[Bill Esterson]

I think he is trying to intervene. I would not take an intervention from him anyway, because he does not wear a mask.

I rise to reiterate our concern about the lack of transparency throughout the Bill and how subsidies cannot be called in when they are under schemes. That is a continuous thread. The real concern is that potential abuses can be missed as a result of that approach. The clause exempts subsidies under schemes from a review, from post-award referrals and from voluntary referrals. We agree that schemes provide a quicker and easier route to provide subsidies, but that should not mean that subsidies awarded under those schemes should escape due scrutiny. If there is not a problem with a subsidy, there is nothing to be concerned about, but if there is a problem with a subsidy awarded under a scheme, there needs to be a mechanism, and I hope the Minister will explain what that mechanism will be, because I do not think we have heard during our deliberations about the scrutiny of potential problems with subsidies awarded under schemes.

There is the potential for a back door of free, unscrutinised public cash being opened up. We have seen problems throughout the pandemic where scrutiny was removed. I will not go over them in too much detail. We have heard about them already, such as the Health Secretary’s pub landlord, advisers to the Board of Trade, and the problems of Randox and the now former right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson)—I understand, hot off the press, that he has resigned. Some £3.5 billion-worth of covid-19 contracts were awarded to firms with links to the Conservative party, according to Government procurement data. That is an example of why we need adequate scrutiny.

Subsidy Control Bill (Fourth sitting)

Debate between Bill Esterson and Michael Tomlinson

Thursday 28th October 2021 Public Bill Committees

[Michael Tomlinson]

It was a great effort.

[Bill Esterson]

I think I understood my hon. Friend’s excellent intervention. She was correcting me: actually, one can get a ticket for £25 from London to Glasgow, not £45.