Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Sector Contracts: Fraud

Thursday 2 February 2023 · 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 Public Sector Fraud Authority was established to prevent and detect fraud in public sector contracts.
  • The Procurement Bill aims to improve transparency and address conflicts of interest in public sector procurement.
  • The Minister disagrees that the Procurement Bill fails to address all issues raised by independent inquiries, asserting it will provide more reassurance.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Davis Con Goole and Pocklington
Benefits & Welfare Standards & Ethics
Context

The question follows the establishment of the Public Sector Fraud Authority to address fraud issues. The context involves steps taken by the Department to tackle fraud.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to tackle fraud in public sector contracts?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

Last year we established the Public Sector Fraud Authority as a centre of excellence to work with Departments and public bodies to understand and reduce the impact of fraud. It does so by providing expertise and best-in-class tools to prevent and detect fraud, including in contracts. The Procurement Bill will also fight fraud through extending the grounds for exclusion and by establishing a debarment list.

Answered
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Q2 David Davis Con Goole and Pocklington
Standards & Ethics
Context

The question addresses issues revealed by independent inquiries related to conflicts of interest in public sector procurement during the covid pandemic. It seeks improvements beyond what is currently proposed in the Procurement Bill.

Question

The covid pandemic exposed several conflict of interest problems in public sector procurement. The Government's Procurement Bill is an excellent opportunity to address those, but it does not pick up all the issues raised by the Government's own independent inquiries. What will the Minister do to improve on that?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

I beg to differ slightly with my right hon. Friend because, as the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office said, we are absolutely determined to ensure that the Procurement Bill is a step forward in transparency and how we handle conflicts of interest. I believe that it will help to give more reassurance on exactly that topic, but I am more than happy to meet my right hon. Friend if he has further ideas.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions beyond the Procurement Bill not addressed

How: Beg To Differ, Meet My Right Hon. Friend

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