Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Mike Amesbury Excerpts
Thursday 24th October 2024

(4 weeks ago)

Commons Chamber
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Georgia Gould Portrait Georgia Gould
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Supporting SMEs through procurement is a huge priority for the Government. It is one of the things that we are consulting on as part of the new national procurement policy statement that I talked about. We are looking across our work in government to ensure that SMEs are part of the procurement process. This is a subject on which we will come back to the House.

Mike Amesbury Portrait Mike Amesbury (Runcorn and Helsby) (Lab)
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3. What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on pay awards for employees of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Pat McFadden Portrait The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Pat McFadden)
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The Royal Fleet Auxiliary staff do excellent work on behalf of the Royal Navy and for our national security, and I pay tribute to them for that work. I have been in contact with the Secretary of State for Defence on this issue. I am hopeful that a resolution can be found on the pay matters currently under discussion between Nautilus, the RMT and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and that the current dispute can be resolved.

Mike Amesbury Portrait Mike Amesbury
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I welcome the efforts of the Cabinet Office and other Government Departments—unlike the previous Government, who sat on their hands—to resolve this dispute in the not-too-distant future. I urge Ministers to double their efforts with colleagues in the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury.

Pat McFadden Portrait Pat McFadden
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Government officials are in negotiations with the trade unions. We want to see an end to the dispute that results in a fair pay offer for the workers involved and delivers value for money for the taxpayer. That is what we will try to achieve.