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.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce energy bills across government.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office supports departments and coordinates across government to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. The 2022-2030 Government Property Strategy sets out how the estate will be transformed to become more efficient and sustainable.
The Government Buying Standard for Construction requires new build developments to meet BRE’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Excellent’ or equivalent standards, while refurbishment projects have a target of ‘Very Good’, ensuring new and upgraded properties meet high standards of energy efficiency.
In addition, Crown Commercial Services has developed an energy procurement strategy that has delivered significant commercial benefits from aggregation of government buying power and hedging future demand on commodity markets.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of progress on their Shared Services Strategy, and in particular whether this has delivered cost savings for the taxpayer; and what plans, if any, they have to provide an update on the current and future work of Government Shared Services.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Launched in March 2021, the Shared Services Strategy for Government aims to modernise the back office of government, enabling significant efficiency gains in critical business services such as HR, finance and commercial.
There are now nineteen departments working together in five clusters that will form the shared service centres. Cluster shared service centres are all expected to be live in the next eighteen months. All departments will join a shared service centre by 2028 as current contracts expire to ensure value for money.
Two of the five clusters are up and running, Overseas has realised over £120m in benefits so far and is now looking to expand and go further around automation to realise further efficiencies. The Minister of Defence is looking to move beyond the current civilian HR system to incorporate the military. The remaining three clusters all have initial approval and funding to go to the market. They are finalising procurements for technology and services and will bring business cases for approval in the coming months.
Clusters estimate that all departments using shared services centres will reduce annual running costs by 20 per cent. Overall they currently estimate that the Strategy will realise more than £3bn of benefits over fifteen years. Direct cost savings are only one element of these benefits. Faster, automated and standardised systems will enable significant timesavings for Civil Servants and general efficiency gains across departments. The clustering model will also make future procurement cheaper and give more buying power than departments have on their own.
During the next six months we expect clusters to submit business cases for approval, continue procurement and ultimately sign contracts.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the procurement of services from (a) P&O Ferries and (b) DP World by Government departments.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the National Centre for Computing Education on its progress in ensuring greater female participation in STEM subjects in (a) further and (b) higher education.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is committed to ensuring that anyone, regardless of their gender or background, can pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
The department’s contract with the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) is managed by departmental officials who meet regularly with STEM Learning, the NCCE supplier, to discuss progress. The NCCE aims to improve the quality of computing education and drive up participation in computing at GCSE and A Level, particularly amongst girls. The NCCE is primarily focused on supporting schools and colleges across England, with the expectation that an increase in participation and interest from girls with computing would coincide with an increase in female participation at further education (FE) and higher education (HE).
As part of the procurement for the second NCCE contract, the department asked bidders to design a gender insights programme, aimed at improving schools’ awareness of the barriers to girls’ engagement with computing and to engage schools in a sustained course of action designed to improve the take up of computer science qualifications, where girls are underrepresented. In Autumn 2023, the NCCE launched the ‘I Belong’ programme to schools and colleges, and early completers include a number of FE providers. The NCCE actively engages with industry, the public sector, and FE and HE institutions, to ensure that they have diverse role models, especially women, supporting the delivery of their work, including working with universities to run student outreach events and recruiting female volunteer Computing Ambassadors.
Last year, the Digital and Computing Skills Education Taskforce was established to deliver on the department’s science and technology ambitions by bringing together experienced and well-respected leaders from priority digital sectors, FE and HE. The NCCE is one of the core members of the Taskforce, who are empowered to guide the group’s work as well as working with other government departments and external partners to deliver on the key actions most likely to impact on the digital skills gap. One of the three priority workstreams identified by the taskforce was “increasing the gender diversity of those taking computing and digital qualifications”. The NCCE has played an active role in the sponsorship of this workstream and the development.
The department funds the Isaac Physics programme to increase the numbers of students, particularly from typically underrepresented backgrounds, studying physics in higher education. The department also currently funds inclusion activities as part of the Science CPD contract, to increase the uptake of A Level physics from underrepresented students, including girls. Including the Stimulating Physics Network, a network of 50 schools offering specialist support to around 350 partner schools, which includes advice and guidance on how to improve progression from physics GCSE to A level, where girls are typically underrepresented.
For mathematics, the department funds the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) which provides support for teachers and students in state-funded schools and colleges in England. Additional support is offered in areas of low social mobility so that, whatever their location, background or gender, students can choose their best post-16 maths pathway and access high-quality teaching. The AMSP has a particular focus on supporting girls into mathematics and runs a variety of enrichment and engagement sessions specifically for girls, including Steps to University for Mathematical Students events, targeted at year 12 girls.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that its approach to procurement helps to retain the (a) skills and (b) workforce needed to support exports of military space technology.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The space industry is an important part of the UK economy and is vital to delivering government's ambitions for space. We are working closely with Departments across government and with the UK space industry to develop and retain the skills and workforce they need. This is set out in the National Space Strategy (2021) and Defence Space Strategy (2022) which place a priority on the space sector having the right skills and expertise for both civil and military purposes.
Through the Ministry of Defences's (MOD) investment in space capabilities, we are providing jobs and skills in the UK. The Skynet programme, worth circa £5 billion over ten years, is procuring satellites that are largely designed and manufactured in the UK. This investment promotes the technologies and skills which make UK industry competitive. We have also invested a further £1.4 billion in space over ten years to develop new capabilities that will position the UK as a world leader on space technology.
Through the Skynet secure satellite communications programme, we are using social value requirements in our major contracts to secure industrial sponsorships of educational schemes and through-life skills development. In addition, UK Space Command is developing the UK Space Academy, a Centre of Excellence for space training for the benefit of both government and industry.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, in close consultation with MOD, will publish a plan for the space industry in the coming months, which will increase growth and resilience for this vital part of the economy.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that Departments meet the legal requirements to ensure the prevention of (a) human trafficking and (b) slave labour in supply chains.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The UK Government’s response to Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking is compliant with both domestic and international obligations, such as those covered under the Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, Modern Slavery Act 2015, Illegal Migration Act 2023 and Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
All contracting authorities are strongly encouraged to follow best practice and due diligence outlined in Procurement Policy Note 02/23.
Where a supplier is found to have a high or medium risk of having modern slavery in their supply chain, the Government-owned Modern Slavery Assessment Tool is used to identify what a supplier needs to do to tackle that risk.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure an adequate supply of labour in the food supply chain.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is aware of the impact that labour shortages are having on the food supply chain and we continue to speak regularly with the sector and other government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements.
To inform future decisions on labour across the sector, Defra commissioned John Shropshire to carry out an Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain throughout 2022 and 2023, considering how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour could contribute to tackling labour shortages in our sectors. This report was published on 30 June 2023 and the government response – which will also be informed by the Review of Automation in Horticulture – is expected to be published in early 2024.
At the same time as the response, the government will set out how it will support the sector to access the labour it needs alongside actions to reduce the sector’s reliance on migrant labour including via our work on automation and promoting domestic labour procurement and training.
Alongside this, the Government announced last May that there would be 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas for the horticulture sector in 2024, with a further 2000 for seasonal poultry workers, ensuring these sectors can plan their workforce needs for the year ahead with confidence.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what action they intend to take as a result of their paper Review of risk of modern slavery and human trafficking in the NHS supply chain, published on 14 December 2023, and following their commitment to eradicate modern slavery from the healthcare system.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government aims to eliminate modern slavery at home and abroad, intensifying efforts since its 2020 modern slavery statement to address supply chain risks. The review makes a series of recommendations, outlined in detail in the publication. It advises for a joint-departments strategy for better risk assessment and mapping in National Health Service supply chains, urging ongoing emphasis on managing modern slavery risks, including updating procurement practices and standardising assessments integrated with e-commerce systems.
It recommends bolstering NHS staff's ability to tackle modern slavery and improving supply chain mapping capability. Upcoming regulations under Section 12ZC of the NHS Act 2006 will further aid the NHS in assessing and mitigating modern slavery risks in individual procurements.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Minister for Defence Procurement has met UK Steel since his appointment.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Ministry of Defence Ministers and officials have regular meetings with counterparts in other Government Departments on a range of matters including industry and the defence supply chain.
In regard of meetings with UK Steel, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 14 November 2023 to Question number 1039.