Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using post offices to (a) onboard and (b) support people impacted by (i) identity and (ii) digital exclusion in the context of mandatory digital identity.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government will launch a full public consultation on the design of the new Digital ID, and have already started to engage with a range of expert organisations.
At the heart of this will be the largest ever digital inclusion programme ever delivered in this country, to ensure everyone can access this new free ID and benefit from it.
We are considering options like a digitally enabled physical alternative for those without access to technology, as well as in-person onboarding support for those who struggle to engage digitally. This may include Post Offices but that decision has not yet been made and will depend on several different factors.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of Government Car Service cars were manufactured in the UK.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
40 cars were manufactured in the UK which represents 37% of the current Government Car Service fleet.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of tableware and crockery used in his Derpartment is made by a British manufacturer.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not hold information regarding this, and it would incur disproportionate costs to gather this information.
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and ensuring they have the best chance to win public contracts.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to prioritise British products in public procurement.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and ensuring they have the best chance to win public contracts.
The new Procurement Act creates a simpler and more transparent system that will support British small businesses bidding for work.
The Act also allows contracting authorities to set standards that recognise the quality and standard of UK businesses and products.
Alongside this, our new National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider this government’s industrial strategies and the sectors vital to our economic growth.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government plans to take to help protect whistleblowers from retaliation in the context of the proposed duty of candour for public bodies.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Prime Minister announced at party conference that the duty of candour Bill will be introduced to Parliament before the next anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in April 2025. The details of this Bill will be announced first to this House. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) serves to protect workers from suffering any detriment as a result of making a protected disclosure.