Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the 90-day visa-waiver stay limitation for EU countries will be subject to negotiation with the EU.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the EU allows for travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. This may require a visa and/or permit.The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether the Procurement Act includes adequate measures to limit the procurement of Chinese-made cellular IoT modules in UK critical national infrastructure.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February this year, introduces new powers to exclude, terminate or debar suppliers from public sector supply chains on a variety of grounds. In line with the Act, the Government will operate the new powers on a country-agnostic basis, with each supplier and type of technology examined individually. We remain committed to protecting our critical national infrastructure and will continue to keep under review the risks associated with internet-facing technologies and components on an ongoing basis, both where they fall in scope of the Procurement Act and through other levers.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the National Security Unit for Procurement plans to publish guidance for contracting authorities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Security Unit for Procurement (NSUP) will support the implementation of new powers to protect public procurement from suppliers that pose a threat to national security. It will become operational on commencement of the Procurement Act on February 24th 2025 and we plan to publish guidance for contracting authorities on the application of the national security exclusion grounds ahead of that date. This is being complemented by more general training and engagement on the act run by the Cabinet Office’s Transforming Public Procurement Programme, and the wider suite of guidance which is already available.