Covid-19: Government’s Publication of Contracts

Question

This question and answers matter because frontline workers were not adequately protected with high-quality PPE during the pandemic. The Government ran down the PPE stockpile, contracts were handed out to friends of the Conservative party without transparency, and a High Court ruled that the public was entitled to see who this money went to and how contracts were awarded. Why did the Prime Minister falsely claim contracts are on record for everyone to see when 100 contracts remain unpublished? Will the Government publish all remaining contracts by the end of the week?

Question

Will the Minister confirm that the Government now follows standard procurement processes and provide details on the percentage of contracts from a year ago that have been published, along with timelines for publishing the remaining ones?

Question

Some 94% of contracts awarded before 7 October were, unlawfully, not published in time and, as of late last week, 100 are still not published. Some 58% were awarded without a competitive tendering process. There are conflicts of interest, inadequate documentation, a high-priority crony lane and then the Prime Minister announcing that all of the contracts were on record for everybody to see. When he said that, it was simply not correct. Is the Minister concerned about this failure in transparency?

Question

This time last year, there was a desperate need to secure PPE urgently when it became one of the most sought-after commodities globally. I congratulate the Department on its efforts to keep my residents safe. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need to look at how procurement procedures can be improved during national crises or future pandemics?

Question

On 22 February, the Prime Minister claimed that all contract details were on record. Two days later, when the Minister was questioned, he did not mention the 100 contracts still unpublished. Why was this inaccurate reply not corrected two days later by the Minister?

Question

Notwithstanding the answer given by my hon. Friend, does he agree with constituents that during a national emergency, the British people want focus on saving lives over prioritising red tape?

Question

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is missing in action, and the Health Minister has come to talk about how urgent it all was at the beginning of the pandemic. With contracts worth more than £10 billion awarded without tendering action between the beginning of the pandemic and July, can the Minister give a firm commitment that from now on every contract will be published in time?

Question

I am quite sure that Ministers want these contracts published. Will the Minister confirm that in the emergency phase all those contracts were negotiated and vetted by independent professional civil servants, and it was not a case of friends of Ministers?

Question

Given the number of fast-track VIP contracts resulting in unusable PPE, will the Minister commit to recovering public money from companies that did not meet contractual obligations? Might those hundreds of millions have been better spent on a decent pay rise for NHS staff?

Question

The Court’s judgment focused solely on the publication of contract notices. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Opposition are wrong to play politics and misrepresent the Court’s opinion in this way?

Question

Would the Minister outline the intention for timely competition in line with the comprehensive judicial review judgment? Does he have any update on moneys recouped from faulty or unusable contracts?

Question

Has the largest diagnostic network in British history been created during this pandemic, delivering around 90 million tests and contacting over 9 million people?

Question

Was it factually untrue for the Prime Minister to state last month that 100 contracts had been published when some were still outstanding?

Question

Why is money being spent on faulty contracts without providing NHS staff a deserved pay rise?

Question

Does my hon. Friend agree that political sniping by the Opposition is contrary to what people expect and want from politicians?

Question

Does the Government accept responsibility for the judgment handed down by a court of law?

Question

Will new UK health contracts require businesses to employ apprentices above public sector targets as part of their workforce?

Question

Did the Secretary of State seek Welsh Government's agreement before awarding contracts without competitive tendering, and did Wales raise concerns independently?

Question

Are the central charge that contracts were awarded to cronies and lack of evidence for improper civil service involvement acknowledged?

Question

Would timely transparency reporting on £1.7 billion contracts via the VIP fast lane have been better than waiting for a court judgment?

Question

In the teeth of the global pandemic and facing unprecedented global demand for vital supplies, does my hon. Friend agree that the Government’s ability to secure over 32 billion items of PPE— including many items supplied from businesses in the Calder Valley and Leeds West—is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of British businesses?

Question

The Government either have something to hide or they are staggeringly incompetent, so will the Minister see that I get answers to the further questions on consultants tabled on 19 January? And will the Government now support my Freedom of Information (Extension) Bill?

Question

Does the Minister agree that sending PPE out to users was the Government’s top priority and getting right the supporting paperwork should not jeopardise that speed of delivery?

Question

Almost £2 billion has been handed to Conservative party friends and donors in dodgy covid contracts. Does the Minister believe that it is appropriate for the Conservative Government to hand out fortunes—public money—to Conservative party donors?

Question

How many people does my hon. Friend estimate came to direct harm because of a late submission of that paperwork, as opposed to those who would have come to direct harm had PPE and medical supplies been delivered late?

Question

Despite the Minister’s protestations and despite the huge amount of money that was spent, the equipment did not get anywhere near the frontline in social care. Does he understand that all of that taken together creates a bad smell? Does he agree that the best way to get rid of that bad smell is to have everything published?

Question

Mr Speaker, do you recall photographs of nurses wearing bin liners? Does my hon. Friend the Minister not agree with me that the priority must be for the delivery of PPE?

Question

The Minister rightly said that transparency mattered, so when will the Government publish the full details and criteria of how businesses got into the fast lane?

Question

Does my hon. Friend agree that our rapid response to procuring and delivering PPE to frontline workers has been essential in keeping them safe? Will he work even harder to increase the percentage so that even more PPE is made in the UK?

Question

The businesses up and down the country feel as though they were misled by the Government. They encouraged them to expand capacity for PPE manufacturing, yet Government middlemen mates were 10 times more likely than they were to win contracts. Can the Minister set out when he will publish the details of all the contracts, including establishment dates and contract durations?

Question

Does my hon. Friend accept the finding of the NAO report that no health trust in the UK went without PPE? My constituents rightly expect transparency in procurement, but most would not want pursuing paperwork to be prioritised over providing proper protective equipment.

Question

The Ministerial Interests (Emergency Powers) Bill, introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Midlothian (Owen Thompson), will go forward to Second Reading and should help with Government's court and publication difficulties. Does the Minister agree that we need greater scrutiny and stringent regulations on issuing government contracts?

Question

Nurses put their lives on the line but received only a 1% pay rise while the Govt handed out billions to private companies for PPE that did not meet standards, and to Serco for a failed track and trace system. Does the Minister agree this is a kick in the teeth?

Question

More than 70% of PPE now made in UK, whereas it was less than 1% before the pandemic. The expansion of over 22,000 ventilators shows an incredible job done by this Government. Does my hon. Friend agree Labour’s point-scoring is not needed at this time?

Question

The Minister's praise is undeserved. The truth is the Government did not get PPE out fast enough, especially in care homes. I am not buying nonsense about focus being on that which meant transparency could not be dealt with. Some people enriched themselves during this pandemic and it looks like corruption.

Question

Throughout the pandemic, the Government focused on securing as much PPE as possible as fast as possible. Can my hon. Friend confirm that all those PPE contract notices with delays in publication are now in the public domain?

Question

Will the Minister tell us how much was paid out under the contracts in advance of delivery, how much has actually been clawed back for services or products not delivered, and how much the Government are still to pursue in repayments?

Question

Last year, the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote: “We need Government to strain every sinew and utilise untapped resources in UK manufacturing, to deliver essential equipment to frontline workers. This must be a national effort which leaves no stone unturned.” Can my hon. Friend say that the Government have done what she wanted and have delivered for the people of this country?