Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Government Procurement: Covid-19

Monday 21 September 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The MOD has paid 123 million in interim payments to support critical defence outputs.
  • The MOD has engaged directly with 600 critical suppliers during the pandemic.
  • The publication of the integrated review will provide long-term certainty for companies like Leonardo.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Marcus Fysh Con
Defence
Context

The question is prompted by concerns over the impact of the pandemic on government procurement processes and supplier payments.

Question

What steps his Department has taken to support Government procurement during the covid-19 outbreak. The MOD has paid £123 million in interim payments, engaged with 600 critical suppliers, and received additional funding from the Treasury fiscal stimulus programme for defence estate accommodation improvements.

Answer from Jeremy Quin

Throughout the pandemic, orders have continued to be made and placed and suppliers paid. The MOD has paid £123 million in interim payments to ensure that critical defence outputs can continue uninterrupted, and engaged directly with 600 of its critical suppliers. In addition, as part of the Treasury fiscal stimulus programme, an additional £200 million of funding has been allocated to improve the defence estate accommodation.

Answered
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Q2 Marcus Fysh Con
Defence
Context

The question is prompted by the need for long-term certainty for companies, such as Leonardo in the constituency of the MP, who have faced challenges due to the pandemic and require assurance on future government procurement programmes.

Question

Short-term support is great, but companies such as Leonardo in my constituency need long-term certainty on programmes as they fight back from covid. What can the Minister do to provide such certainty?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

My hon. Friend is a great advocate for Leonardo and for military helicopters. The publication of the integrated review and, in particular, the defence and security industrial strategy will provide a great deal of certainty. In addition, in the case of Leonardo, through our strategic partnering arrangement we are establishing a joint working group to support future capability and understanding.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not specify concrete actions or timelines for providing long-term certainty beyond mentioning ongoing initiatives like the integrated review and joint working groups.

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