Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contract “Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services”, procurement reference CCTM22A01, if she will publish the minutes of the Quarterly Commercial Review meetings.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is considered confidential and commercially sensitive and is therefore not publicly released.
The Home Office operates a rigorous contract management regime, which includes monthly Contract Management Group meetings and Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings to discuss contract management issues and oversee performance. Two Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have been held.
The minutes of the monthly and quarterly performance meetings and other review meetings are treated as commercially sensitive and are not publicly released.
The Home Office also conducts regular reviews of its contracts to ensure that they deliver maximum value for money, but the minutes, notes, and outcomes of this work are commercially sensitive and not made publicly available.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contract Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services, procurement reference CCTM22A01, if he will publish all performance reports.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is considered confidential and commercially sensitive and is therefore not publicly released.
The Home Office operates a rigorous contract management regime, which includes monthly Contract Management Group meetings and Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings to discuss contract management issues and oversee performance. Two Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have been held.
The minutes of the monthly and quarterly performance meetings and other review meetings are treated as commercially sensitive and are not publicly released.
The Home Office also conducts regular reviews of its contracts to ensure that they deliver maximum value for money, but the minutes, notes, and outcomes of this work are commercially sensitive and not made publicly available.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contract, Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services, procurement reference CCTM22A01, how many Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have taken place.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is considered confidential and commercially sensitive and is therefore not publicly released.
The Home Office operates a rigorous contract management regime, which includes monthly Contract Management Group meetings and Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings to discuss contract management issues and oversee performance. Two Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have been held.
The minutes of the monthly and quarterly performance meetings and other review meetings are treated as commercially sensitive and are not publicly released.
The Home Office also conducts regular reviews of its contracts to ensure that they deliver maximum value for money, but the minutes, notes, and outcomes of this work are commercially sensitive and not made publicly available.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, what controls exist to prevent (a) unnecessary and (b) duplicate payments being issued.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has robust controls in place to ensure Support Payment Card transactions are accurate and appropriate, including system led instructions that issue the correct support level, active monitoring of ongoing eligibility, and prompt discontinuation of payments when an asylum seeker is no longer entitled.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, which officials and Ministers approved the final award decision, and on what dates.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The final award followed all internal approval processes, including appropriate governance committees. Ministerial approval was not required due to the value of the contract award.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what Key Performance Indicators are commonly applied across asylum contracts.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
KPI schedules and performance measures are set out in the contracts which are available on Contracts Finder and can be found in the links below:
Wales - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder
South - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder
NW - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder
MEE - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder
NEYH - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder
Scotland - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder
NI - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder
CTM - CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contract, Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services, procurement reference CCTM22A01, on what date Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited was notified that it had been awarded the contract, and which Minister approved the award.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Prior to receiving internal, Home Office Commercial approvals, to award this contract supplier performance was reviewed and due diligence was carried out. Necessary external approvals from Cabinet Office Spend Controls were also obtained prior to the contract award. The guidance for Cabinet Office Spend Controls applies to commercial activities costing £20 million or more, and is published on gov.uk at: Commercial spend controls (version 7) - GOV.UK.
The final contract signature was completed on 24 March 2023.
All Home Office contracts are procured in line with public sector procurement regulations. As part of these regulations, robust checks are carried out on suppliers’ ability to deliver the contract in question and, in certain circumstances, it may be necessary to exclude bidders in line with relevant regulations.
CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract was a direct award under the CCS Travel and Venue Solutions Framework Agreement (RM6217) – Lot 2. CTM were the sole supplier within Lot 2.
Financial information cannot be provided in the granular detail requested.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, how many staff delivering services are subject to Security Clearance (SC); and what the average cost of clearance is per staff member.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not incur costs for Security Clearance (SC) under the Support Payment Card contract, as these are not charged through the contract, and we therefore do not hold data on the average cost per staff member.
The number of staff subject to SC is also not held by the department, as staffing levels and clearance requirements sit with the provider, who is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate number of suitably cleared personnel are in place to deliver the services in accordance with contractual requirements.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, how many replacement cards were received; and what was the total cost to the public purse of the replacement.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The requested information is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Schengen 90 days in any 180 rule on UK professional drivers and the businesses that depend on them.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 2021, UK nationals (including hauliers and coach drivers) have been bound to a limit of 90 days in any 180-day period (90/180 limit) for work and leisure journeys in the Schengen area. This limit is consistent with the approach taken by the EU to nationals of other third countries.
The 90/180 limit is a fundamental part of the EU’s conditions of entry for third country nationals to its territory, including for visa-free travel for short-term visits. As such, it is not UK Government policy. Any amendments and exemptions to these rules are the responsibility of the EU and Member States. There have been no recent discussions with the EU on the potential impact of the 90/180 limit on UK professional drivers.
The Department for Transport is undertaking research to improve understanding of the effects of the 90/180 limit on the international operations of GB-based HGV and coach businesses that hold standard international operator licences. The data is currently being processed, and the study’s findings will be published in due course.