Overseas Companies: UK-registered Subsidiaries

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Monday 17th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for the question. It is important that SMEs have fair access to public contracts, which drives economic growth and the strength of public supply chain requirements. All central government departments, including executive agencies and departmental bodies, must set a three-year target for direct spend on SMEs from 1 April this year and a two-year target of direct spend for voluntary, community and social enterprises from 1 April 2026, and they have to report this annually. This is good news for SMEs.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, further to the question raised by the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, as the Minister knows, I have raised on a number of occasions the question of what action is being taken by the Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner to recover money from those people who defrauded the Government during the Covid epidemic by providing equipment and other supplies that were not used, and particularly those who used the VIP lane. Members of Parliament and Members of this House were involved in that. We need action quickly; what action has been taken?