Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Tommy Sheppard Excerpts
Wednesday 6th February 2019

(5 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Oliver Dowden Portrait Oliver Dowden
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the issue of SMEs winning contracts. This is why we have abolished complex pre-qualification questionnaires on small-value contracts, for example, and in November I announced that if major strategic suppliers were not paying their small providers on time, they could face being excluded from Government contracts.

Tommy Sheppard Portrait Tommy Sheppard (Edinburgh East) (SNP)
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I am aware that current statute means that wage rates cannot be mandated, but it is possible to use the procurement process to encourage employers to consider paying the real living wage in the context of fair work policies. Indeed, that is the process undertaken by the Scottish Government. Will the Minister consider following Scotland’s lead and using procurement to ensure that employers pay the real living wage?

Oliver Dowden Portrait Oliver Dowden
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I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I hope that he will acknowledge the progress that this Government have made in introducing a national living wage for the first time. The effect of that national living wage, which will rise by almost 5% this April, is that an average person working full time on the national living wage will be almost £3,000 a year better off—and that is not counting the massive increase in the personal allowance that also cuts their taxes.