Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Sector Productivity Programme

Tuesday 7 May 2024 · 5 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 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial funding of 4.2 billion is allocated to improve public sector productivity.
  • The What Works programme has conducted over 500 trials and is internationally recognized.
  • Legal action is being pursued against those who defrauded taxpayers during the pandemic.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Penrose Con
Economy
Context

The effectiveness of the Public Sector Productivity Programme is under scrutiny.

Question

If he will use outcome evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the Public Sector Productivity Programme. The programme aims to improve efficiency in public services with a £4.2 billion funding announcement in the Budget.

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

Improving public sector productivity is a major focus for this Government, which is why I announced £4.2 billion of funding to make our public services more efficient in the Budget.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Outcome evaluations were not specifically mentioned as part of assessing effectiveness

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Q2 John Penrose Con
NHS
Context

The effectiveness of the What Works programme in improving public service productivity is being questioned.

Question

Using the evaluation task force and the What Works centres to systematically cut out ineffectual treatments and replace them with ones that work better could improve other public services, including back to work programmes, prisoner rehabilitation, and early interventions for supported families. Can he urge his department to utilise these resources?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

My hon. Friend is right to talk about the What Works programme, which has delivered more than 500 trials and is recognised internationally. There are some very good example in the NHS of what is working, including the NHS app. That is now used by 75% of NHS patients—including 17,000 over-90s, so let no one assume that older people are not internet savvy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address urging use of What Works centres for productivity improvement in other sectors

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Q3 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
NHS Taxation
Context

Some £8.7 billion was wasted on defective PPE during the pandemic, and companies associated with the Conservative party benefited from fast-tracked contracts.

Question

What is the Chancellor doing to get public money back from those people who sold that defective equipment to the NHS? Does it not just show that we cannot trust the Tories with public money?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

What it shows is that we took very difficult decisions in the pandemic to speed up access to PPE for frontline workers, who were literally dying at the time—but there should be no hiding place whatsoever for anyone who commits fraud on taxpayers, which is why there have been over 100 arrests.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address what actions are being taken to recover funds

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Q4 Darren Jones Lab Bristol North West
Taxation Employment
Context

There is still £1 billion worth of unresolved PPE contracts, and only one company faces legal action.

Question

Why are the Government not taking legal action against the other companies that have not delivered on their contract with members of the public?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

Let me be clear: there is absolutely no hiding place for anyone, whether they are connected to the Conservative party, the Labour Party or any other party. If they have defrauded the taxpayer, we will go after them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific actions taken against non-delivering companies

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Q5 Darren Jones Lab Bristol North West
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The Government is pursuing legal action against companies that have not delivered on their PPE contracts, but the names of these companies are not being disclosed.

Question

If there is no hiding place, why would the Chancellor not name them today?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

Because we are taking legal action, and as the hon. Gentleman knows full well, when we take legal action, that information belongs to the police.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide reasons for withholding names beyond stating it belongs to the police

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