Oral Answers to Questions

Clive Lewis Excerpts

Thursday 17th December 2020 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Milling]

My hon. Friend is a very strong voice for his constituents in High Peak. Tier 3 restrictions were introduced based on evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies about what was required to bring the R rate below 1 in a targeted way, thereby bringing transmission under control and reducing pressures on the NHS. Local authorities under tier 3 measures such as those in High Peak also receive additional funding for local public health initiatives to help to contain the spread of the virus and pave the way for local restrictions to be eased.

[Clive Lewis (Norwich South) (Lab)]

What plans he has to review the value for money of the Government’s use of consultants during the covid-19 outbreak.

[Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)]

What plans he has to review the value for money of the Government’s use of consultants during the covid-19 outbreak.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Julia Lopez) [V]]

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will croak through these Questions together.

Working effectively with the private sector, including external consultants, has undoubtedly helped us to address some of the huge challenges the pandemic served up, but contracting authorities must extract value for money for taxpayers when working in this way. The outsourcing playbook updated in June includes many key policies to improve the quality of contracts in place with industry, but also to build internal civil service capability to reduce our reliance on external consultants.

[Clive Lewis [V]]

[Inaudible.]

[Mr Speaker]

We will try to come back to you, Clive.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Let us head back to Norwich South and hope Alan Partridge does not get in the way of me hearing Clive Lewis.

[Clive Lewis [V]]

Thank you, Mr Speaker; I can be heard at last. Given that this Government have doled out £10.5 billion of our money without any competition, according to the National Audit Office, and frittered hundreds of millions on consultants and individuals whose main qualification seems to be that they are friends with members of this Government, does the Minister agree that in any other part of the world it would be called corruption, plain and simple?

[Julia Lopez]

I would not agree. It is very important to understand that every contract went through the same eight-stage process, where it was looked into. The contracts were done on the grounds of commercial sense, rather than anything to do with any connections. As the NAO report said, Ministers declared all interests and there was no evidence of any wrongdoing.