Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justin Madders and Oliver Dowden

Thursday 29th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Oliver Dowden]

The short answer is clearly no. Indeed, it really worries me that things have come to a state where the Labour party allegedly did not want to declare donations because of concerns about growing antisemitism. That is a very worrying allegation.

[Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)]

T4. The independent review into the Teesworks project found there to be a lack of“transparency and oversight across the system to evidence value for money,” as well as “a persistent theme or culture of excessive confidentiality”.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not seem to be interested in pursuing those matters, and refuses to refer them to the National Audit Office. Can the Minister explain what his Department is doing to make sure that public money is spent properly?

[Oliver Dowden]

The Government remain committed to ensuring value for the taxpayer across all projects. As the hon. Gentleman highlights, this is principally a matter for DLUHC.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justin Madders and Oliver Dowden

Thursday 7th September 2023 Commons Chamber

[Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)]

10. What steps he is taking to help ensure high standards of propriety in public life.

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office (Oliver Dowden)]

As the Prime Minister set out when he first entered Downing Street, this Government will uphold the highest standards of integrity and propriety. In July we announced a wide- ranging programme of reform, acting on recommendations from Nigel Boardman, the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Public Administration Committee.

[Oliver Dowden]

The people of Mid Bedfordshire deserve a hard-working Member of Parliament who lives and works in the constituency, and in Festus they will find exactly that. I have every confidence that they will return him to this House in the by-election next month.

[Justin Madders]

At the conclusion of Prime Minister’s questions yesterday, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell) made a point of order, picking up on a statement made by the Prime Minister that she described as “categorically untrue”. This is about the sixth or seventh time this year that we have had to make such points of order about the Prime Minister. How can we have any confidence that we are going to get high standards in public life if this keeps happening?

[Oliver Dowden]

That is simply not the case. If the hon. Gentleman had listened to the exchange, he would have heard that the Prime Minister answered comprehensively every question raised by the Leader of the Opposition and demonstrated a far greater understanding of the detail of this than that demonstrated by his opposite number.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justin Madders and Oliver Dowden

Thursday 11th May 2023 Commons Chamber

[Oliver Dowden]

As the hon. Lady will know, we continue to make considerable progress on all the actions set out in that framework. She is right to highlight the challenges that we face in some resilience areas, particularly in relation to cyber-resilience. That is why I am conducting a programme to step up our cyber-resilience, for example by creating a new agency to ensure that we are across the cyber-resilience of all Government Departments and annually appraise them of it.

[Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)]

5. How many people his Department has identified as unsuitable for speaking at Government events based on their social media history.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justin Madders and Oliver Dowden

Wednesday 10th July 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Oliver Dowden)]

As my hon. Friend knows, small businesses are the backbone of our economy and we are determined to level the playing field so that they can win Government contracts. That is why, for example, we have introduced tough new prompt payment requirements and simplified the procurement process, and through our digital marketplace we have spent £2.5 billion, with £1.28 in every £3 going to SMEs.

[Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)]

T3. According to the recent Sutton Trust and Social Mobility Commission report on elitist Britain, there has been a 4% increase in privately educated permanent secretaries. With the civil service already massively unrepresentative of society, does the Minister agree that that figure should be going down rather than up?