Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made any assessment of the implications for UK procurement policy of senior foreign political figures holding investments in companies supplying sensitive UK public sector systems.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government takes threats to UK national security in relation to public contracts seriously.
Under the Procurement Act 2023, contracting authorities must undertake due diligence to ensure suppliers do not pose particular risks. The Act enables the exclusion of suppliers if specific grounds apply to them or their "connected persons", which can include people who exercise significant control over them.
If a supplier or its connected person poses a threat to UK national security the supplier can be excluded or placed on a centralised debarment list.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a written constitution for the UK.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK’s uncodified constitution has evolved over time and is made up of conventions, statutes, judicial decisions, principles and practices. It is the Government’s view that one of the strengths of our constitution is its flexibility and ability to evolve in response to changing circumstances. The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a codified constitution.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to respond to breaches of the Supplier Code of Conduct v3.0 Ethical Behaviour provisions.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth and supports British businesses.
The Procurement Act 2023 allows contracting authorities to require that suppliers meet specific standards by, where appropriate, setting them as conditions of participation in a procurement. Contracting authorities must be satisfied that any such conditions of participation have been met before awarding a public contract, including when a supplier proposes to meet them via a subcontractor. The Procurement Specific Questionnaire template, published on the Procurement Pathway, helps contracting authorities collect relevant subcontractor information.
The Public Procurement Review Service (PPRS) also helps to protect UK subcontractors working with government suppliers by providing a free, anonymous, and confidential way to report poor public sector procurement practices, including contract management issues and unfair, late payment issues.
The UK Government Supplier Code of Conduct v3.0 (published May 2023) outlines the ethical standards expected of suppliers working with the government. Although the Code is not legally enforceable, it encourages transparent dialogue where standards are not met and, in extreme unresolved cases, escalation to the Government Chief Commercial Officer.
We will set out further reforms to procurement rules, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that subcontractors supplying Government departments have high standards.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth and supports British businesses.
The Procurement Act 2023 allows contracting authorities to require that suppliers meet specific standards by, where appropriate, setting them as conditions of participation in a procurement. Contracting authorities must be satisfied that any such conditions of participation have been met before awarding a public contract, including when a supplier proposes to meet them via a subcontractor. The Procurement Specific Questionnaire template, published on the Procurement Pathway, helps contracting authorities collect relevant subcontractor information.
The Public Procurement Review Service (PPRS) also helps to protect UK subcontractors working with government suppliers by providing a free, anonymous, and confidential way to report poor public sector procurement practices, including contract management issues and unfair, late payment issues.
The UK Government Supplier Code of Conduct v3.0 (published May 2023) outlines the ethical standards expected of suppliers working with the government. Although the Code is not legally enforceable, it encourages transparent dialogue where standards are not met and, in extreme unresolved cases, escalation to the Government Chief Commercial Officer.
We will set out further reforms to procurement rules, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help protect the interests of UK subcontractors that are engaged by Government suppliers.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth and supports British businesses.
The Procurement Act 2023 allows contracting authorities to require that suppliers meet specific standards by, where appropriate, setting them as conditions of participation in a procurement. Contracting authorities must be satisfied that any such conditions of participation have been met before awarding a public contract, including when a supplier proposes to meet them via a subcontractor. The Procurement Specific Questionnaire template, published on the Procurement Pathway, helps contracting authorities collect relevant subcontractor information.
The Public Procurement Review Service (PPRS) also helps to protect UK subcontractors working with government suppliers by providing a free, anonymous, and confidential way to report poor public sector procurement practices, including contract management issues and unfair, late payment issues.
The UK Government Supplier Code of Conduct v3.0 (published May 2023) outlines the ethical standards expected of suppliers working with the government. Although the Code is not legally enforceable, it encourages transparent dialogue where standards are not met and, in extreme unresolved cases, escalation to the Government Chief Commercial Officer.
We will set out further reforms to procurement rules, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to review the (a) role and (b) voting rights of bishops in the House of Lords.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There are no plans to review the role and voting rights of the Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords.
The Government has set out an ambitious programme of House of Lords reform in its manifesto, including a commitment to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. The Government will consult on proposals for an alternative second chamber, seeking the input of the British public on how politics can best serve them.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in the levels of excess winter deaths data.
Answered by Josh Simons
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of the 25th November is attached.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the causes of the excess winter deaths in the latest data.
Answered by Josh Simons
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of the 25th November is attached.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason the proposed digital ID will be issued to children aged 13 to 16 years.
Answered by Josh Simons
The Government has announced plans for a new national digital ID for all UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over, and we will consult on lowering the proposed minimum age to 13.
Extending the national digital credential scheme to include 13–16-year-olds could streamline administrative processes involved in employing young people. Inclusion of this age group could also support children’s online safety by supporting age verification for online services in line with the Online Safety Act 2023.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Prime Minister will attend the COP30 UN climate summit in person.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Prime Minister plans to attend COP30.