Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes she plans to make to UK procurement rules to support the Government's commitment to increase domestic purchasing.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to fostering a resilient economy that supports British businesses and creates good jobs in communities across the country.
We must ensure that every pound that we spend in procurement goes as far as it can in benefiting the UK and this is why we published a new Social Value Model with a much sharper focus on good quality jobs, skills and opportunities. Supplementary guidance will follow later this autumn and the model will apply to relevant procurements commencing from 1 January 2027.
These reforms will be carefully developed to be consistent with the UK’s international agreements, ensuring non-discriminatory treatment for suppliers and goods from countries who are party to those agreements. This is a two-way street as it gives UK suppliers access to public procurement markets overseas.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to encourage Small and Medium Enterprises in Glasgow to register their offers on the official Great British Summer Savings website.
Answered by Chris Ward
The Great British Summer Savings (GBSS) campaign means cheaper family days out this summer across the whole of the UK. The Government is cutting VAT from 20% to 5% on family days out and for young people under 18 years old — from cinema and theatre tickets to attractions, and children's meals out.
The GBSS campaign is backed by the Federation of Small Businesses, the British Chambers of Commerce, UK Hospitality, the Society of London Theatre, UK Theatre and Small Business Britain, who - alongside government colleagues - have been engaging small and medium sized businesses in all parts of the UK.
VAT-eligible businesses can visit greatbritishsummersavings.gov.uk to take part. We have already onboarded thousands of offers with more being added every day.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to monitor contractual performance for the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.
The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.
Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.
Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.
To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.
The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates