Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) his international counterparts to develop legally-binding international regulations for biological research that poses potential security risks.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government published the UK Biological Security Strategy on 12 June 2023. Our vision is that, by 2030, the UK is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats, and is a world leader in responsible innovation, shaping international norms and standards to help improve our lives and the health of the planet. Government departments will work together towards this.
The Government will also continue to use the UK’s wider international influence to encourage appropriate biosafety and biosecurity regulations, including through the International Tech Strategy. This will aim to drive global technical standards, sector-specific regulations and conventions for the safe and reliable uptake and commercialisation of engineering biology.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the new Integrated Security Fund will provide funding and resources for the commitments in the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) will expand upon the existing Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), including its work on Gender, Peace and Security. The new Fund will have a wider remit, funding projects both at home and overseas to tackle some of the most complex national security challenges facing the UK and its partners. It will also bring into scope some key existing programmes, such as the National Cyber Programme. Importantly this change from the CSSF is designed to ensure broader long-term integration of cross-government National Security efforts. Combining additional funding from other programming, the UKISF will have a budget of almost £1 billion, to help keep the UK safe.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the new Integrated Security Fund will prioritise the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) will expand upon the existing Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), including its work on Gender, Peace and Security. The new Fund will have a wider remit, funding projects both at home and overseas to tackle some of the most complex national security challenges facing the UK and its partners. It will also bring into scope some key existing programmes, such as the National Cyber Programme. Importantly this change from the CSSF is designed to ensure broader long-term integration of cross-government National Security efforts. Combining additional funding from other programming, the UKISF will have a budget of almost £1 billion, to help keep the UK safe.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2022 to Question 143578, whether the updated guidance in the Public Contracts Regulations will explicitly incorporate provisions for UK incorporated companies operating globally, to help ensure adequate protections for citizens of foreign nations, particularly in Latin America.
Answered by Jacob Rees-Mogg
The Regulations require contracting authorities to exclude bidders where they have established by verification or are otherwise aware that the bidder has been convicted of certain offences. These include offences related to participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, terrorist offences, money laundering or terrorist financing, and child labour and other forms of trafficking in human beings. These requirements apply both to convictions in the UK and equivalent convictions overseas. In certain circumstances, civil matters may be relevant to the discretionary exclusion grounds, for example, grave professional misconduct which renders the supplier’s integrity questionable.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure Government contracts are not granted to companies that are complicit in serious human rights abuses.
Answered by Jacob Rees-Mogg
The Cabinet Office published in Procurement Policy Note 05/19 comprehensive commercial policy and guidance to identify and tackle modern slavery and labour abuse risks throughout the commercial life cycle. This advocates a risk based approach and applies to central government, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Other public sector contracting authorities may wish to apply the approach set out in this PPN.
This is being updated to strengthen the guidance on using the existing grounds in the Public Contracts Regulations for excluding suppliers and will set out enhanced due diligence activities. This will be published in due course.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the most recent annual review for the (a) Colombia Peace Programme and (b) Peru and Colombia: Serious Organised Crime Programme.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.