Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Oral Answers to Questions
"6. What plans his Department has to help develop public services in developing countries. ..."Alex Cunningham - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Oral Answers to Questions
"I am grateful for that answer. Building strong public services is crucial to achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals, but countries in the global south are losing out on billions of pounds of revenue each year due to tax avoidance—money that could be spent on building up those services, which …..."Alex Cunningham - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 10 Jul 2019
Oral Answers to Questions
"Q2. Children as young as seven have been groomed and exploited to commit crimes, such as placing drugs inside their bodies to move them across the country, yet they are often treated as criminals, not victims. There is also a sad lack of support for them: two thirds of councils …..."Alex Cunningham - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 19 Jun 2019
Oral Answers to Questions
"Q8. I am dealing with the most traumatic of constituency cases, affecting a vulnerable young woman refugee now at risk of prostitution and trafficking here in the UK. She faces being thrown out on the streets by this Government, who have refused her the support that she desperately needs, even …..."Alex Cunningham - View Speech
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Written Question
Wednesday 12th June 2019
Asked by:
Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question
to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department takes across Government to calculate social value in the award of central government contracts.
Answered by Oliver Dowden
We have developed a light touch model for calculating social value in government procurement, representing the minimum standard on social value that we expect departments to consider in their procurement activity. The model comprises a set of high level themes, a set of priority policy outcomes grouped under each theme, standard award criteria and a menu of specific metrics for departments to use in contract management and reporting.
Each policy outcome will have standard award criteria and a suggested set of evaluation questions for departments to consider, and a corresponding set of proposed metrics that should be used by departments to performance manage the delivery of the contract. Bidders will need to submit questions based on these metrics where they have been selected.
In March 2019, we launched a public consultation on the final measures that will form part of the overall social value framework. The consultation will encompass the proposed questions and reporting metrics that will be used to compare the relative social value of bids for central government contracts. The consultation closes on 10 June 2019.
We are also developing proposals for government’s biggest suppliers to provide data and action plans for how they plan to address key issue such as ethnic minority representation in their workforce, the gender pay gap throughout the company and what they are doing to tackle the scourge of modern slavery.
Written Question
Tuesday 11th June 2019
Asked by:
Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question
to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking across all Government departments to ensure social value is delivered in public procurement.
Answered by Oliver Dowden
We are extending the application of the Social Value Act in central government to ensure all
major procurements explicitly evaluate social value where appropriate, rather than just
‘consider’. This will ensure central government contracts take account of areas as diverse as
the employment of disabled people, the use of social enterprises, the prevention of modern
slavery and the protection of the environment
We are developing a simple, systematic approach to bring departments up to a consistent,
minimum level of operating, and ensuring additional reporting does not add complexity or
cost to the procurement process, restrict markets or exclude small businesses from
government contracts
Government is committed to train all 4,000 commercial buyers on how to take account of
social value and procure successfully from social enterprises - training for government
commercial staff will help unlock more opportunities for voluntary, community and social
enterprise organisations. We will also require all departments to report on the social impact
of major new procurements.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 05 Jun 2019
Oral Answers to Questions
"13. When he plans to launch the consultation on electoral integrity announced on 5 May 2019. ..."Alex Cunningham - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 05 Jun 2019
Oral Answers to Questions
"The problem is much more widespread. The Guardian reported that American donors have given $5.6 million to US funding bodies, which passed it to, among others, the Institute of Economic Affairs, the Adam Smith Institute and Policy Exchange. Will the consultation look specifically at how think-tanks are funded and by …..."Alex Cunningham - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 20 Feb 2019
Oral Answers to Questions
"Q12. Some 70% of flights are taken by 15% of the population, yet the Tees Mayor has just spent up to £90 million of taxpayers’ money buying an airport when most people across the area cannot get a bus home after 6.30 pm. Could the Prime Minister help them out?..."Alex Cunningham - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 18 Jul 2018
Oral Answers to Questions
"Q13. My constituent Andy McLean arranged to sell his house to an online company, WeBuyAnyHouse-Quickly.com. He agreed a price and then saw it cut by more than 20% on the day contracts were to be exchanged and after he had incurred a fortune in deposit, legal and other costs associated …..."Alex Cunningham - View Speech
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