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Written Question
Public Sector: Procurement
Monday 26th April 2021

Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West and Pudsey)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much and what proportion of the Government's £290 billion annual public sector procurement expenditure has been spent (a) with businesses that use or have used child labour and (b) on products manufactured in, or using materials manufactured in, Xinjiang in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Julia Lopez

This information is not held centrally.

The UK spends some £290 billion on public procurement every year. This huge amount of government spending must be leveraged to play its part in the UK’s economic recovery, opening up public contracts to more small businesses and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery, and meeting our net-zero carbon target by 2050. The Government has already reviewed the Green Book to ensure it supports “levelling up” and is taking other steps for example through the National Infrastructure Strategy to ensure vibrant and resilient supply chains. Our ambitious plans for reform, set out in our recently published Green Paper on transforming procurement, aim to create a simpler regime that reduces costs for business and the public sector alike whilst complying with our international obligations.

The Government is committed to working to improve action to tackle modern slavery in supply chains, and has published commercial policy and guidance which advocates a systematic approach to identifying and tackling modern slavery and labour abuses in government supply chains, focussing on areas of the highest risk. We are keeping this matter under close review.


Written Question
Public Sector: Procurement
Monday 26th April 2021

Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West and Pudsey)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much and what proportion of the Government's £290 billion annual public sector procurement expenditure has been spent on (a) goods made in the UK, (b) services provided by UK-owned companies, (c) goods made outside of the UK and (d) services provided by overseas-owned companies in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Julia Lopez

This information is not held centrally.

The UK spends some £290 billion on public procurement every year. This huge amount of government spending must be leveraged to play its part in the UK’s economic recovery, opening up public contracts to more small businesses and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery, and meeting our net-zero carbon target by 2050. The Government has already reviewed the Green Book to ensure it supports “levelling up” and is taking other steps for example through the National Infrastructure Strategy to ensure vibrant and resilient supply chains. Our ambitious plans for reform, set out in our recently published Green Paper on transforming procurement, aim to create a simpler regime that reduces costs for business and the public sector alike whilst complying with our international obligations.

The Government is committed to working to improve action to tackle modern slavery in supply chains, and has published commercial policy and guidance which advocates a systematic approach to identifying and tackling modern slavery and labour abuses in government supply chains, focussing on areas of the highest risk. We are keeping this matter under close review.


Written Question
Public Sector: Procurement
Monday 26th April 2021

Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West and Pudsey)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much and what proportion of the Government's £290 billion annual public sector procurement expenditure has been disbursed by each (a) Government department, (b) local authority, (c) university, (d) research institute or research council, (e) NHS Trust and (f) further education institute in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Julia Lopez

This information is not held centrally.

The UK spends some £290 billion on public procurement every year. This huge amount of government spending must be leveraged to play its part in the UK’s economic recovery, opening up public contracts to more small businesses and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery, and meeting our net-zero carbon target by 2050. The Government has already reviewed the Green Book to ensure it supports “levelling up” and is taking other steps for example through the National Infrastructure Strategy to ensure vibrant and resilient supply chains. Our ambitious plans for reform, set out in our recently published Green Paper on transforming procurement, aim to create a simpler regime that reduces costs for business and the public sector alike whilst complying with our international obligations.

The Government is committed to working to improve action to tackle modern slavery in supply chains, and has published commercial policy and guidance which advocates a systematic approach to identifying and tackling modern slavery and labour abuses in government supply chains, focussing on areas of the highest risk. We are keeping this matter under close review.


Written Question
Public Sector: Procurement
Monday 26th April 2021

Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West and Pudsey)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much and what proportion of the Government's £290 billion annual public sector procurement expenditure has been spent in each region of the UK in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Julia Lopez

This information is not held centrally.

The UK spends some £290 billion on public procurement every year. This huge amount of government spending must be leveraged to play its part in the UK’s economic recovery, opening up public contracts to more small businesses and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery, and meeting our net-zero carbon target by 2050. The Government has already reviewed the Green Book to ensure it supports “levelling up” and is taking other steps for example through the National Infrastructure Strategy to ensure vibrant and resilient supply chains. Our ambitious plans for reform, set out in our recently published Green Paper on transforming procurement, aim to create a simpler regime that reduces costs for business and the public sector alike whilst complying with our international obligations.

The Government is committed to working to improve action to tackle modern slavery in supply chains, and has published commercial policy and guidance which advocates a systematic approach to identifying and tackling modern slavery and labour abuses in government supply chains, focussing on areas of the highest risk. We are keeping this matter under close review.


Written Question
Public Sector: Procurement
Monday 26th April 2021

Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West and Pudsey)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much and what proportion of the Government's £290 billion annual public sector procurement expenditure has been spent with or on (a) the private sector, (b) the voluntary sector, (c) SMEs, (d) public sector bodies, (e) goods and (f) services in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Julia Lopez

This information is not held centrally.

The UK spends some £290 billion on public procurement every year. This huge amount of government spending must be leveraged to play its part in the UK’s economic recovery, opening up public contracts to more small businesses and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery, and meeting our net-zero carbon target by 2050. The Government has already reviewed the Green Book to ensure it supports “levelling up” and is taking other steps for example through the National Infrastructure Strategy to ensure vibrant and resilient supply chains. Our ambitious plans for reform, set out in our recently published Green Paper on transforming procurement, aim to create a simpler regime that reduces costs for business and the public sector alike whilst complying with our international obligations.

The Government is committed to working to improve action to tackle modern slavery in supply chains, and has published commercial policy and guidance which advocates a systematic approach to identifying and tackling modern slavery and labour abuses in government supply chains, focussing on areas of the highest risk. We are keeping this matter under close review.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 14 Apr 2021
Lobbying of Government Committee

"I beg to move,

That the following Standing Order shall have effect until 31 December 2021:

Investigation into the Lobbying of Government Committee

(1) There shall be a select committee, called the Investigation into Lobbying of Government Committee, to consider:

(a) the effectiveness of existing legislation to prevent the inappropriate …..."

Rachel Reeves - View Speech

View all Rachel Reeves (Lab - Leeds West and Pudsey) contributions to the debate on: Lobbying of Government Committee

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 14 Apr 2021
Lobbying of Government Committee

"Well, the Scottish people can be the judge of that. If the hon. Member thinks that a Scottish Minister dining with Lex Greensill is okay, his party should put that on its leaflets in the elections in May.

Sir Alex Allan resigned as independent adviser on ministerial interests following the …..."

Rachel Reeves - View Speech

View all Rachel Reeves (Lab - Leeds West and Pudsey) contributions to the debate on: Lobbying of Government Committee

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 14 Apr 2021
Lobbying of Government Committee

"I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. The point about Sir Alex Allan is that it is five months later and nobody has been appointed to this role. Whether we advertise the role or not, it has been vacant for five months. [Interruption.] A Member says from …..."
Rachel Reeves - View Speech

View all Rachel Reeves (Lab - Leeds West and Pudsey) contributions to the debate on: Lobbying of Government Committee

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 14 Apr 2021
Lobbying of Government Committee

"I will not comment on how Select Committee Chairs are sometimes elected in this place. But as a former Select Committee Chair, I know how seriously colleagues around this House would take this responsibility, as the hon. Gentleman does. We are prepared to make a concession to Conservative Members. We …..."
Rachel Reeves - View Speech

View all Rachel Reeves (Lab - Leeds West and Pudsey) contributions to the debate on: Lobbying of Government Committee

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 14 Apr 2021
Lobbying of Government Committee

"If the hon. Member wants to defend all that—be my guest...."
Rachel Reeves - View Speech

View all Rachel Reeves (Lab - Leeds West and Pudsey) contributions to the debate on: Lobbying of Government Committee