Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what update they can provide on the progress of initiatives aimed at enhancing the cybersecurity of the UK military; and what measures are in place to protect the UK military's critical infrastructure.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (James Cartlidge), in the House of Commons on 24 October 2023 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (Mr John Healey) in response to Question number 202622.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June to Question 186759 on House of Commons: Fairtrade Initiative, if the Commission will make it its policy to record details of all the Fairtrade branded products purchased by Catering Services.
Answered by Charles Walker
Procurement standards for catering contracts include minimum ethical criteria and the Administration does not plan to keep a record of the scheme relating to each product due to the volume and range of goods purchased.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will publish a list of all items purchased by the House authorities for use on the parliamentary estate that carry the Fairtrade accreditation.
Answered by Charles Walker
Catering Services at the House of Commons does not currently record details of all the Fairtrade branded products it purchases. Fairtrade is only one of a number of ethical trading schemes that exist within the food and beverage sectors. Catering Services procurement set minimum ethical criteria pertinent to the category and strong environmental and social commitments with all suppliers demonstrating that they operate to those standards via recognised third-party accreditation.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make an assessment of the adequacy of the due diligence processes used when awarding a contract for the delivery of Climate Assembly UK.
Answered by Charles Walker
The procurement process for the delivery of Climate Assembly UK was run fully in line with House practice and legal requirements. It used an Open procedure under the Public Procurement Regulations. In doing so the House of Commons applied objective due diligence criteria related to the contract, including grounds for exclusion from the competition. The process ensured that bidders were managed in an equal, transparent and non-discriminatory manner. Bidders were required to complete a suitability questionnaire and meet criteria based upon quality and value for money considerations. The successful supplier provided the best value for money for the House and delivered a product that was subsequently judged favourably by the independent evaluation process that reviewed its methodology and outputs. The political views of the sub-contractors were not included as part of the evaluation criteria, in line with House practice.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission is taking steps to increase the availability of beverages produced in the UK on the Parliamentary estate.
Answered by Charles Walker
The catering service, alongside the Parliamentary procurement team, is working to increase availability of UK products. It sells regional products, promoting where availability allows and collaborating with suppliers. As an example, in the last year we have introduced a range of craft UK gins. I shall write to the hon. Member with more information.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the steel for the Fleet Solid Support, Type 26 and Type 31 ships will be sourced from UK suppliers.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I refer the noble Lord to the answers provided by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Alex Chalk), in the House of Commons on 22 November 2022 and 14 February 2023 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey), in response to Question numbers 88822, 140032 and 140033.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to help ensure reliable Polycom telephone connectivity on the Parliamentary Estate.
Answered by Charles Walker
The Parliamentary Digital Service is taking steps to improve and enhance the user experience of parliamentary voice services.
A new Voice Programme commenced in June 2022 to help establish a reliable and resilient service in a way that supports current and future user needs. This is expected to include procurement of a new streamlined solution with a less complex support model. In addition, tactical solutions will be provided to address repeat issues experienced by specific users, including with handsets, to help ensure continuity of service until a stable long-term option is implemented.
Resolution speed of major telephony incidents will continue to depend on third parties until the existing telephony infrastructure is replaced. PDS will continue to strengthen third party relationships to mitigate the risk of protracted disruption.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Goldie on 22 November (HL Deb cols 1272 to 1275), whether British steel will be used in the construction of the ships.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I refer the noble Lord to the answer provided by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Alex Chalk), in the House of Commons on 22 November 2022 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey), in response to Question number 88822.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Goldie on 22 November (HL Deb cols 1272–5), whether (1) pre-built, and (2) fitted, modules from Spain will be put together in Harland & Wolff.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I refer the noble Lord to the answer provided by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Alex Chalk), in the House of Commons on 24 November 2022 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey), in response to Question number 89737.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will publish the (a) key performance indicators and (b) service level agreements in the contract for Members' security services.
Answered by Charles Walker
Security of Members away from the parliamentary estate is a top priority for the Parliamentary Security Department (PSD). Contracts for Members’ security services are managed by PSD, who work with PPCS (Parliamentary Procurement & Commercial Service) to closely monitor performance. The key performance indicators and service level agreements are commercially sensitive with the companies that provide these services under contract, and cannot be published.