Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of setting the upper age limit for the proposed Youth Experience Scheme with the European Union at 35.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We will not comment on ongoing negotiations.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing emergency planning in relation to infants and children.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
Cabinet Office non-statutory guidance sets out that emergency planning should consider groups that require special consideration, including those who are dependent on others, such as children. All education, childcare, and children’s social care settings should have emergency plans in place. Plans should explain how to respond and take any temporary actions in the event of an emergency. This expectation is set out in DfE’s (non-statutory) emergency planning guidance for education, childcare and children’s social care settings. The guidance includes an expectation to evaluate and test plans. DfE also publishes statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to encourage public service bodies to buy British-made products.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and the products they produce, ensuring they have the best opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services.
The new Procurement Act contains measures that help British businesses and manufacturers by creating a simpler and more transparent system that will deliver better value for money, giving small businesses greater access to £385 billion of annual spend.
Our new National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider how procurement can foster economic growth, support small businesses, strengthen UK supply chains and drive delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and missions.
We have also recently announced a package of further measures to demonstrate how central government will implement the NPPS, further helping British firms succeed.
Furthermore, our modern Industrial Strategy will set out how public procurement can support growth and investment in key sectors of the economy by encouraging innovation and the development of new technologies.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that Government procurement policies promote British (a) manufacturers and (b) suppliers.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses, ensuring they have maximum opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services.
The new Procurement Act contains measures that help British businesses and manufacturers by creating a simpler and more transparent system that will deliver better value for money, giving small businesses greater access to nearly £400billion of yearly spend.
Our new National Procurement Policy statement also encourages contracting authorities to consider how procurement can foster economic growth, support small businesses, strengthen UK supply chains and drive delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and missions.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Mr Nigel Boardman was asked to submit a declaration of interests before he started the review into government procurement activity; and where that declaration is published.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 22 July 2021.
Nigel Boardman is a distinguished legal expert, having undertaken a number of reviews scrutinising the government. He was asked to lead this review following the appropriate consideration of relevant interests.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons Mr Nigel Boardman originally rejected the representations of Lord Heywood’s widow in his review into government procurement activity.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 22 July 2021. As the written statement notes, where actions have been attributed to individuals, some of which could be read as critical, the individuals concerned or their personal representative, where applicable, were given the opportunity ahead of the report being finalised to make representations on those sections of the report that could be perceived as criticisms to correct factual inaccuracies.
Lady Heywood has had access to papers that Lord Heywood would have been shown and, representing her late husband, has been treated on equivalent terms to others involved in the review.
During the course of the Review, Lady Heywood made representations to Mr Boardman about the process. Mr Boardman listened to these representations and agreed to undertake additional engagement with Lady Heywood prior to finalising his report.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, how many personal letters he has written to bereaved families of NHS and care staff who have died from covid-19.
Answered by Boris Johnson
I am acutely aware of the grief, heartbreak and loss suffered by families across the country as a result of this global pandemic.
I know first-hand the effect this terrible virus can have on someone and will always be thankful for the life saving care that I received at St Thomas’ hospital.
I write to the families of all NHS and care staff who have died from covid-19 in order to offer my condolences and to pay tribute to the tireless efforts of their loved ones.
In order to write, my office requires the relevant organisation to receive prior consent from the families that their personal information may be shared – which necessarily creates a slight time lag. I have so far sent 55 letters and will write to more families as soon as my office receives the relevant consents and information.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which senior Ministers (a) have been, (b) are and (c) plan to be engaged in the next five months in negotiations with the EU on the UK's post-transition relationship.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Details of Cabinet Committee membership and their terms of reference are available online at GOV.UK, including the EU Exit Strategy (XS) and EU Exit Operations (XO) committees.