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Written Question
Defence: Procurement
Thursday 23rd May 2024

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating the use of domestic steel in defence procurement contracts.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Steel is procured in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines with many defence programmes requiring specialised steels that are not manufactured in the UK.

Steel for our major defence programmes is generally sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers. This Government is committed to creating the right conditions in the UK for a competitive and sustainable steel industry. It publishes its future pipeline for steel requirements, together with data on how Departments are complying with steel procurement guidance. This enables UK steel manufacturers to better plan and bid for Government contracts.

Select Committee
Correspondence from Gareth Rhys Williams, Government Chief Commercial Officer and Non-Executive Director, Crown Commercial Service, re Competition in public procurement session, dated 1 November 2023

Correspondence Feb. 05 2024

Committee: Public Accounts Committee

Found: Correspondence from Gareth Rhys Williams, Government Chief Commercial Officer and Non-Executive Director

Select Committee
Correspondence from Dame Meg Hillier, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts to Gareth Rhys Williams, Chief Executive Officer, re Competition in public procurement, dated 26 January 2024

Correspondence Jan. 29 2024

Committee: Public Accounts Committee

Found: Committee of Public Accounts to Gareth Rhys Williams, Chief Executive Officer, re Competition in public procurement

Departmental Publication (Guidance and Regulation)
Cabinet Office

May. 24 2024

Source Page: Procurement Act 2023 guidance documents - Plan phase
Document: (PDF)

Found: Procurement Act 2023 guidance documents - Plan phase

Commons Chamber
Oral Answers to Questions - Thu 29 Feb 2024
Cabinet Office

Mentions:
1: Alex Burghart (Con - Brentwood and Ongar) The landmark Procurement Act 2023, which this Government passed last year, will deliver simpler and more - Speech Link
2: Alex Burghart (Con - Brentwood and Ongar) The report suggests that in 2020-21, Government Departments and arm’s length bodies reported a total - Speech Link
3: Oliver Dowden (Con - Hertsmere) In addition, I chair a ministerial cyber board, where we constantly challenge Departments to improve - Speech Link
4: Tim Loughton (Con - East Worthing and Shoreham) On the efficiency of Government Departments, I am sure that Ministers want report by inspectorates that - Speech Link

Departmental Publication (Policy and Engagement)
HM Treasury

Apr. 03 2024

Source Page: Seizing the Opportunity: Delivering Efficiency for the Public
Document: Seizing the Opportunity: Delivering Efficiency for the Public (PDF)

Found: Drawing on the work of both departments and cross -government functions, this document sets out the

Select Committee
Planet Labs
 CGW0017 - Cross-government working

Written Evidence Dec. 12 2023

Committee: Public Accounts Committee

Found: CGW0017 - Cross-government working Planet Labs Written Evidence

Select Committee
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Sixth report from Session 2023-24

Government Response Mar. 08 2024

Committee: Public Accounts Committee

Found: Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Sixth report from Session

Departmental Publication (News and Communications)
Cabinet Office

Feb. 19 2024

Source Page: New expert will champion small businesses across Government
Document: New expert will champion small businesses across Government (webpage)

Found: New expert will champion small businesses across Government

Written Question
Hikvision: CCTV
Tuesday 9th April 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost to date of the removal of Hikvision cameras from Whitehall departments; and what estimate they have made of the cost to local authorities of removing Hikvision cameras from local council buildings.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

It is a long-standing policy that the Government does not comment on security arrangements including the details of security systems. However, the UK takes national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure and protect its national security infrastructure.

Following Royal Assent of the Procurement Act on 26 October 2023 the Government committed to publishing a timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive sites within six months. This timeline is due to be published by 26 April.

Sensitive sites were defined “as any building or complex that routinely holds secret material or above; any location that hosts a significant proportion of officials holding developed vetting clearance; any location which is routinely used by Ministers; and any government location covered under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.”

While local authorities may choose to follow the lead of central government in removing surveillance equipment they are under no obligation to do so. We encourage all organisations to follow NCSC supply chain security guidance when selecting a technology supplier. This guidance clearly sets the security standards that suppliers should meet and the considerations that organisations should be making during the procurement process.