Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Heather Wheeler and Rachel Hopkins

Thursday 9th June 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Wheeler]

Home Office colleagues are working harder than ever to deal with huge surges in demand for passports and visas as a result of the recovery from the pandemic and the UK’s response to the illegal war in Ukraine. The Home Office is currently prioritising Ukraine visa scheme applications in response to the illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Government are communicating directly with other visa customers to note that economic visas are taking longer to process at this time. Staff are being redeployed to those visa routes and further staff are being recruited and onboarded. More passport applications are being processed than ever before, with nearly 2 million applications completed between March and April. Despite that, the vast majority of passports are being processed within 10 weeks.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)]

The Minister’s warm words do not match the reality of the Government’s plans. Their all-male cuts committee, headed by the Chancellor, will not create efficiencies by cutting 91,000 civil servants; in fact it will gut the civil service’s capability to deliver the vital frontline services that our communities rely on. Will the Minister explain to the public how all Departments being asked to model 20%, 30% or 40% job cuts will better serve their needs when it comes to getting their passport on time, not having to wait in queues at the airport or accessing swift justice in our court system?

[Mrs Wheeler]

I am afraid the hon. Lady is out of step with reality. Many MPs have gone to the hub in Portcullis House and have got turnarounds for their constituents’ passports. Many people have got their passports within nine days. [Interruption.] She is asking about technology: improvements in artificial intelligence mean that if there is no issue with someone’s passport, it is returned within nine days flat.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I have the greatest respect for the Minister, but these are very long answers. We are certainly wandering away from where we started. Let us move on to the shadow Minister.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)]

Increasing the diversity of the senior civil service is key to strengthening leadership and expanding expertise. Representation of ethnic minorities and disabled people in senior roles is still below the working population average. Given that the fast stream is a proven route to senior roles, it should be used as a tool to boost diversity, so the decision to freeze the scheme puts a reckless, ideological cuts agenda ahead of a sustained strategy to create a senior civil service that truly reflects our country. Can the Minister explain how cutting 91,000 jobs and freezing the fast stream will help to increase diversity in the senior civil service?

[Mrs Wheeler]

I am afraid the hon. Lady is missing the point completely. Respectfully, taxpayers should have value for money, and a civil service that has grown by 24% in only a few years is outrageous. The most important point about diversity is that we are moving jobs out of London, with regional jobs all over, and we are reflecting the public in those regional jobs.

Draft Public Procurement (International Trade Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2022

Debate between Heather Wheeler and Rachel Hopkins

Wednesday 25th May 2022 General Committees

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mrs Heather Wheeler)]

I beg to move,

That the Committee has considered the draft Public Procurement (International Trade Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship for I think the first time, Mr Hosie. This instrument will give legal effect in domestic regulations to the United Kingdom’s procurement obligations under the free trade agreement between the UK and the EEA-EFTA states of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The European Free Trade Association agreement has sought to reflect much of the provisions of the EU-EFTA agreement, by which the UK was bound as a member of EU. This is part of the Government’s wider approach to provide continuity as far as possible in existing trade and investment relations with third countries that had an agreement with the EU before we left the EU.

The UK-EFTA agreement was signed on 8 July 2021 and completed the scrutiny period prescribed under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 in October 2021. This instrument implements the procurement obligations contained in that agreement.

In terms of coverage under the agreement, the UK is an independent member of the World Trade Organisation’s agreement on government procurement, or GPA, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and other major world economies. The GPA aims to mutually open global public procurement markets and is worth some £1.3 trillion in guaranteed access to global procurement opportunities for UK firms. Importantly, these amendments do not add any burdens to the UK procurement process, nor do they reduce any UK procurement standards. I hope colleagues will join me in supporting the draft regulations, which I commend to the Committee.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)]

We have no further points to add and will not be pressing the regulations to a vote.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Heather Wheeler and Rachel Hopkins

Thursday 31st March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We now come once again to shadow Minister Rachel Hopkins.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)]

I am on a roll, Mr Speaker. The last time I asked whether the Government are planning to sack hard-working civil servants, as the Minister for Government Efficiency has proposed, he sidestepped the question. Now we know why. The Government have since announced the closure of 41 DWP offices across the country, in the middle of an economic crisis and when their services are needed more than ever. All of the offices being closed entirely are outside London, and the vast majority are in the very areas that have been promised more investment. So much for levelling up.

Will the Minister now tell us just how many jobs are at risk? Will she guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies, and will she explain how this fits into the Government’s plan to reform the civil service?

[Mrs Wheeler]

The hon. Lady asks a number of questions. Regarding the question asked by the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Jeff Smith), the landlord wants the property back and wants to redevelop the area, which will bring other jobs to the area. However, the most important thing is, on these very important back-office jobs for these 411 people, that they are not looking at any reduction in headcount.