Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the level of efficiency across government in answering correspondence from members of the public.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office works with Government departments and agencies to monitor the quality and timeliness of correspondence, providing support and guidance as necessary.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) transparency, (b) impartiality and (c) equality of the public procurement process for government contracts.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Government has recently implemented the Procurement Act 2023 which has introduced significantly enhanced transparency throughout the commercial lifecycle. Alongside this, a new Central Digital Platform has been rolled out and captures this data in the public domain- from publishing tender notices to contractual key performance indicators. Other measures introduced include requiring conflicts of interest assessments to ensure impartiality and equal treatment obligations that require suppliers participating in the procurement to be treated the same. A new Procurement Review Unit will additionally provide oversight for the regime and ensure it is functioning well. The Government is considering new legislation and has launched a consultation that is currently seeking views.