Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made on securing integrated tariff treatment for the Falkland Islands, in the context of the UK-EU reset.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We recognise the challenges these tariffs pose for the Falkland Islands. They stem from the fact the previous Government’s Brexit deal does not cover the Overseas Territories. The EU has been clear that they are not willing to re-open the fundamental terms of that deal. However, the UK and Falkland Islands governments have been working together on supporting the seafood sector, including securing US agreement to consider reducing tariffs on Falklands exports.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of SMEs that were awarded public sector contracts in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Aldridge-Brownhills constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Information on public sector suppliers within a regional location and/or specific constituency is not held centrally. The Find a Tender service programme includes search and filter capabilities by location, supplier type and contract.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of new (a) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and (b) micro businesses created between 30 October 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 1st April is attached.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of UK-made (a) clay bricks, (b) roof tiles and (c) drainage pipes in public procurement.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The driving principle behind public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector contracting authorities are required to purchase products and services through competitive tender in accordance with public procurement legislation, and are responsible for their own commercial decisions, including the award of contracts.
The Government wants UK businesses to be successful in bidding for UK public contracts. That is why we introduced the Procurement Bill, currently being considered by Parliament. This Bill will reform public procurement and make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for suppliers, including British SMEs and social enterprises, to bid for public sector contracts - lowering barriers to entry to the market.
We also want UK businesses to be successful in competing for public contracts in other countries around the world, which we achieve by negotiating guaranteed market access for UK suppliers in many international free trade agreements. Our membership of the World Trade Organisation's Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) gives British businesses access to £1.3 trillion in public procurement opportunities overseas, including opportunities in some of the world's major economies.