Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office , what discussions the Prime Minister has had with Mark Fullbrook on his interview with the FBI in connection with bribery charges in Puerto Rico.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on proceedings in a foreign country which do not involve the UK Government.
However, I refer the Hon. Member to the statement issued by Mr Fullbrook which is in the public domain, and the recent apology and retraction issued to him by the Rt Hon Member for Tottenham.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made for the implication of his policy of the professional relationship between Mark Fullbrook and the indicted Julio Herrera Velutini.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on proceedings in a foreign country which do not involve the UK Government.
However, I refer the Hon. Member to the statement issued by Mr Fullbrook which is in the public domain, and the recent apology and retraction issued to him by the Rt Hon Member for Tottenham.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Office sought legal advice on the continuation of Mark Fullbrook's role as the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, following the disclosure of Mr Fullbrook's status as an witness in an FBI investigation.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on proceedings in a foreign country which do not involve the UK Government.
However, I refer the Hon. Member to the statement issued by Mr Fullbrook which is in the public domain, and the recent apology and retraction issued to him by the Rt Hon Member for Tottenham.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, Mark Fullbrook, informed the Cabinet Office that he was a witness in an FBI investigation.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on proceedings in a foreign country which do not involve the UK Government.
However, I refer the Hon. Member to the statement issued by Mr Fullbrook which is in the public domain, and the recent apology and retraction issued to him by the Rt Hon Member for Tottenham.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Office's Propriety and Ethics team was informed that the FBI had asked the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, Mark Fullbrook, to cooperate as a witness in an active case on electoral bribery in Puerto Rico.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on proceedings in a foreign country which do not involve the UK Government.
However, I refer the Hon. Member to the statement issued by Mr Fullbrook which is in the public domain, and the recent apology and retraction issued to him by the Rt Hon Member for Tottenham.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information Mark Fullbrook was asked to declare upon his appointment as Chief of Staff.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
All government employees are subject to the necessary checks and vetting, and all special advisers declare their interests in line with Cabinet Office guidance.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information Mark Fullbrook, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, asked to declare upon his appointment.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
All government employees are subject to the necessary checks and vetting, and all special advisers declare their interests in line with Cabinet Office guidance.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason a review has been conducted into KPMG by his Department; and what his timetable is for (a) concluding and (b) publishing that review.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search
We closely monitor the financial health and performance of all our strategic suppliers and have regular discussions with KPMG’s senior management. We are looking carefully at the measures put in place by KPMG to address issues raised by the Financial Reporting Council; this forms part of the ongoing Cabinet Office monitoring process.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts the Government awarded to KPMG in the last two years; what the value of those contracts is; and which Department awarded those contracts.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search
We closely monitor the financial health and performance of all our strategic suppliers and have regular discussions with KPMG’s senior management. We are looking carefully at the measures put in place by KPMG to address issues raised by the Financial Reporting Council; this forms part of the ongoing Cabinet Office monitoring process.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress his Department has made on (a) appointing a chair and (b) defining the terms of reference for the public inquiry into the Government's response to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Michael Ellis
On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 will be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers, and that it will begin its work in spring 2022. The independent chair of the inquiry will be appointed by the end of this year. Further details, including on the terms of reference, will be set out in due course.