Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Non-disclosure Agreements

Monday 2 November 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 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister of Defence states NDAs are used exceptionally and only when necessary in commercial arrangements.
  • Kevan Jones expresses concern over NDAs preventing industry from communicating with MPs or Ministers.
  • Minister encourages companies to contact him directly if they have issues with NDAs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kevan Jones Lab
Defence
Context

Kevan Jones inquired about the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) within his Department's defence programmes, focusing on recent trends and necessity.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of trends in the number of non-disclosure agreements used within my Department's defence programmes? I am concerned that these NDAs are being overused when they should be an exception.

Answer from Jeremy Quin

The Ministry of Defence only uses non-disclosure agreements in its commercial arrangements by exception, when there is a specific need. Although no trend analysis has been undertaken, it remains the case that NDAs are only used where absolutely necessary.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No trend analysis has been undertaken and no specifics on current usage trends or necessity of NDAs were provided.

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Q2 Kevan Jones Lab
Business Compliance
Context

Concerns are raised about NDAs used in pre-bid stages, potentially restricting companies' ability to engage with Members of Parliament or Ministers. US primes like Boeing and Lockheed Martin reportedly refuse such agreements.

Question

I accept that NDAs are important for financial contractual obligations, but is the Minister aware that his Department is asking industry at the pre-bid stage to sign NDAs that actually exclude companies from speaking to MPs or Ministers? I understand some US primes like Boeing and Lockheed Martin are refusing to sign these NDAs. Why is this happening?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

I am not aware of any company complaining about NDAs. If the right hon. Gentleman is aware of some, I would really encourage those companies to get in contact with me directly and I will take it up.

Not addressed: The specific issue regarding NDAs preventing communication was not addressed; instead, the Minister invited complaints without addressing current practices or reasons behind them.

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