Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made on achieving the Government’s objectives for supporting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises participation in public procurement.
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, especially SMEs.
The Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of the proportion of procurement contracts awarded by each Government Department to SMEs over the last five financial years. The Government is, however, introducing targets for SME spend going forwards.
The Government is also taking a number of further steps to support SMEs.
We have published a National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) which requires contracting authorities to consider ways to increase procurement spend with SMEs and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).
The Crown Commercial Service has also published an SME Action Plan which sets out the steps it is taking to support Government Departments maximise their procurement spend with SMEs, by removing barriers to participation and opening up opportunities to SMEs through their commercial agreements.
We have also introduced changes allowing local councils to reserve over one billion pounds worth of lower value contracts to suppliers based locally or within the UK which has recently become law, a step strongly supported by SMEs.
We will set out further reforms, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course. These reforms will further support British SMEs to bid for contracts.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of procurement contracts awarded by each Government Department were to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in each of the last five financial years.
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, especially SMEs.
The Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of the proportion of procurement contracts awarded by each Government Department to SMEs over the last five financial years. The Government is, however, introducing targets for SME spend going forwards.
The Government is also taking a number of further steps to support SMEs.
We have published a National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) which requires contracting authorities to consider ways to increase procurement spend with SMEs and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).
The Crown Commercial Service has also published an SME Action Plan which sets out the steps it is taking to support Government Departments maximise their procurement spend with SMEs, by removing barriers to participation and opening up opportunities to SMEs through their commercial agreements.
We have also introduced changes allowing local councils to reserve over one billion pounds worth of lower value contracts to suppliers based locally or within the UK which has recently become law, a step strongly supported by SMEs.
We will set out further reforms, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course. These reforms will further support British SMEs to bid for contracts.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government Commercial Agency is taking to help improve access to Government procurement processes for (a) Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and (b) other suppliers with expertise in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
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, especially SMEs.
The Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of the proportion of procurement contracts awarded by each Government Department to SMEs over the last five financial years. The Government is, however, introducing targets for SME spend going forwards.
The Government is also taking a number of further steps to support SMEs.
We have published a National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) which requires contracting authorities to consider ways to increase procurement spend with SMEs and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).
The Crown Commercial Service has also published an SME Action Plan which sets out the steps it is taking to support Government Departments maximise their procurement spend with SMEs, by removing barriers to participation and opening up opportunities to SMEs through their commercial agreements.
We have also introduced changes allowing local councils to reserve over one billion pounds worth of lower value contracts to suppliers based locally or within the UK which has recently become law, a step strongly supported by SMEs.
We will set out further reforms, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course. These reforms will further support British SMEs to bid for contracts.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what work is being done in conjunction with other departments to explore new financing methods for defence equipment procurement.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We have established a Defence Investors Advisory Group to support the development of the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS). As part of this work, we are exploring potential new financing options and how these could apply to specific opportunities identified through the Defence Investment Plan. No decisions on new financing methods have yet been taken.
We are working closely with other Government Departments and assessing the fiscal, regulatory and industrial implications of new financing methods to support defence equipment procurement.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 22583 on Government Departments: Procurement, whether he has had further discussions with the Institution of Civil Engineers on releasing a new edition of the Construction Playbook.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
A refreshed Construction Playbook is now due to be published in Summer 2026.
Officials will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Institute of Civil Engineers, to ensure that the Playbook continues to reflect procurement best practice in the usual way.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks, published on 28 December 2025, what procurement processes were used to select AI suppliers for A&E applications; and what assessment has been made of value for money.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To date, the Department has not undertaken any formal assessment or estimate on the cost or value of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict levels of demand in accident and emergency departments.
Decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those used for demand prediction in accident and emergency settings as discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’, are made at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. At present, NHS trusts have autonomy to determine the use of such technologies, taking into account the needs and priorities of their respective organisation, independent of the Government. As such, we do not have a cost estimate of a national rollout, nor can we confirm the procurement processes used by those organisations.
The implementation of the AI tools discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’ did not involve an individual procurement of third-party goods or services for the accident and emergency tool, which was developed in the Federated Data Platform. AI implementation programmes that do involve the procurement of third-party goods, services, or digital products are managed in compliance with the obligations set out in the Procurement Act 2023, and the relevant NHS contracting authorities' standing financial instructions.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost has been to date of deploying AI systems in A&E departments; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost of a national rollout.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To date, the Department has not undertaken any formal assessment or estimate on the cost or value of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict levels of demand in accident and emergency departments.
Decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those used for demand prediction in accident and emergency settings as discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’, are made at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. At present, NHS trusts have autonomy to determine the use of such technologies, taking into account the needs and priorities of their respective organisation, independent of the Government. As such, we do not have a cost estimate of a national rollout, nor can we confirm the procurement processes used by those organisations.
The implementation of the AI tools discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’ did not involve an individual procurement of third-party goods or services for the accident and emergency tool, which was developed in the Federated Data Platform. AI implementation programmes that do involve the procurement of third-party goods, services, or digital products are managed in compliance with the obligations set out in the Procurement Act 2023, and the relevant NHS contracting authorities' standing financial instructions.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has conducted an equality impact assessment on the increase in the use of AI within the Civil Service.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There is no centralised equality impact assessment on the rollout of AI tools in government as a whole. AI tools can be deployed for a wide-ranging set of purposes and it is down to individual departments to conduct EIAs where appropriate, irrespective of whether an AI tool is involved in the planning or execution of their policy ambitions.
The DSIT owned Data and AI Ethics Framework (DAIEF) provides a set of principles and activities to guide the responsible development, procurement and use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sector. It helps public servants understand ethical considerations and how to address these in their work. The DAIEF explains the need to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty and Equality Act 2010 and signposts the EHRC guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty to provide further information.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 23 September 2025, to Question 70484, on Government Departments: Training, what role the Director General for Digital Centre Design played in (a) the design and specification of Project 7114, (b) recommending the use of Bloom Procurement Services Ltd as the route to market, and (c) compiling or approving the list of suppliers directly nominated to bid for the contract through Bloom.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The interim Director General for Digital Centre Design, now interim Director General for Digital Transformation, has had no involvement in the design and specification of Project 7114 or in any procurement decisions related to the Cabinet Office Test Learn and Grow Programme.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's transparency data entitled Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts: Data for July to September 2025 for all departments, published on 25 December 2025, for what reason Tackling Economic Inequality is a Key Performance Indicator for the contract entitled NHSmail Collaboration Licensing Platform that is supplied by Accenture (UK) Limited.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The inclusion of Tackling Economic Inequality as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for NHS England’s NHSmail Collaboration Licensing Platform contract reflects the Government’s Social Value Model, introduced to ensure that public procurement delivers wider economic and social benefits alongside core contractual outcomes. Further information is available at the following link:
As for every procurement, NHS England selected the most appropriate Social Value Theme from those set out in the above guidance, based on the subject matter of the contract. In this case, Tackling Economic Inequality was chosen. This theme encompasses measures that promote economic opportunity, support skills and employment, and encourage innovation and productivity across supply chains.
Each Social Value Theme in turn contains detailed Model Award Criteria, and for this contract NHS England applied:
The KPI was included to ensure those commitments are monitored transparently. This is consistent with the Government’s requirement to publish KPIs for its most important contracts, as part of strengthening accountability and transparency in public procurement.