Thursday Volume 672 27 February 2020 No. 31 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 27 February 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 447 27 FEBRUARY 2020 448 Angela Richardson: I thank my right hon. Friend for House of Commons her previous answer and it is great to see her on the Front Bench. Ninety-nine per cent. of businesses registered in Guildford are SMEs. What steps is the Minister Thursday 27 February 2020 taking to simplify the bureaucracy involved and minimise the cost to SMEs of quoting for Government business? The House met at half-past Nine o’clock. Penny Mordaunt: I congratulate my hon. Friend on the work that she is doing for all the businesses in PRAYERS Guildford. We have committed to removing barriers to small businesses in our commercial arrangements, and have already removed the complex pre-qualification [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] questionnaires that people used to have to fill out for even low-value contracts. We will continue to look at other ways that we can ensure that SMEs have maximum Oral Answers to Questions opportunity to bid for work. Saqib Bhatti: I welcome the Minister’s comments. Does she recognise the role that business support CABINET OFFICE organisations play—such as the Institute of Directors, the Federation of Small Businesses, the British Chambers of Commerce and local enterprise partnerships, which The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister lead on the growth hubs—in helping to bridge the for the Cabinet Office was asked— knowledge gap for SMEs that have to deal with such difficult processes? Small and Medium-sized Businesses: Government Contracts Penny Mordaunt: I thank my hon. Friend for the opportunity to pay tribute to those business organisations, 1. Dr Jamie Wallis (Bridgend) (Con): What plans he and it is great to see him in this place, with all his has to support small and medium-sized businesses in expertise in this area. Those organisations play a critical bidding for Government contracts. [900971] role, and we must listen to what they are saying and look at ways to increase the opportunities for all their 7. Angela Richardson (Guildford) (Con): What plans members. We want to improve our communications and he has to support small and medium-sized businesses in relationships with those organisations. bidding for Government contracts. [900978] Greg Smith: Small businesses often tell me that late 13. Saqib Bhatti (Meriden) (Con): What plans he has payments are a significant concern when bidding for to support small and medium-sized businesses in bidding not just Government contracts, but all contracts with for Government contracts. [900984] large companies. What steps can my right hon. Friend outline to ensure that there is a level playing field for 17. Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con): What plans he small businesses applying for Government contracts? has to support small and medium-sized businesses in bidding for Government contracts. [900990] Penny Mordaunt: We want SMEs to have confidence that they can bid for work. The prompt payment measure, The Paymaster General (Penny Mordaunt): We have which was introduced last September, has been a key introduced measures to tackle barriers faced by SMEs part of the Government’s work to focus on breaking in the procurement process. In the last financial year, we down those barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises. spent almost £2 billion more with SMEs than we did in Suppliers that do not comply with that will be struck the preceding year. off, and we have done that. There is more that we are looking at; my hon. Friend will know that there is Dr Wallis: In my constituency of Bridgend in south debate about channelling some of the fines for those Wales, the SME market will be absolutely key to making with poor practice into compensation for small enterprises. a success of Brexit. Will my right hon. Friend commit to working with the devolved Administrations, so that Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab): All the friendly all parts of the UK will see progress when it comes to questions from the Whips Office do not hide the reality, SMEs accessing Government contracts? which is that the Government have had 10 years to get this right. More small businesses than ever have given Penny Mordaunt: I congratulate my hon. Friend up trying to win Government contracts, and I am afraid on all the work that he has been doing to open up that the figures do not stack up; they are worse now opportunities for his constituents, and particularly SMEs than when the Government came in. When will they and entrepreneurs. I can commit to, and have already stop giving the lion’s share of lucrative Government had, conversations with the devolved nations. The contract contracts to the Carillions of this world and start finder that the Department has set up, offering greater treating our excellent small businesses fairly? transparency about those opportunities, is just one way that we are assisting, and I would be happy to meet him Penny Mordaunt: I notice that there were no facts in to discuss other ways that we can support his efforts to that question. If the hon. Member looks at the facts, he ensure that all his constituents have maximum opportunity. will see that a greater and growing number of small and 449 Oral Answers 27 FEBRUARY 2020 Oral Answers 450 medium-sized enterprises are registering to become we should stand by measures to deal with it. We should suppliers. He will see that 12 Departments in particular be on the side of the victims of that crime, whose voices are massively increasing the amount of work that they are taken away—indeed, stolen—by such fraud. That is are doing with small enterprises. Rather than criticising a good reason why this was in our manifesto, on which, my Government colleagues, he might like to start standing I gently remind my right hon. Friend, we both stood. up for small businesses in his constituency. Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab): Of course John Spellar (Warley) (Lab): I think there is unanimity those citizens whose voices are taken away because they across the House about the need to improve access to do not have photographic ID are also victims. As the Government contracts for small and medium-sized Minister is concerned about fraudulent votes, can she enterprises, but I would prefer it if they were British tell the House how many fraudulent votes were prevented small and medium-sized enterprises. What action will in each of the pilot areas? the Secretary of State take to amend Government procurement regulations so that Departments can start Chloe Smith: As I have already said, evaluations of to prioritise British firms, British products and employment the pilots set out a range of data. The hon. Gentleman’s of British workers? question is not the sort that can easily be answered, as I hope the more cerebral Members of the House will Penny Mordaunt: The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely understand. That is because it is hard to put a figure on right. He knows this Administration are focused on crime that is deterred. The question Labour Front increasing opportunities across every part of this country. Benchers really have to answer is: in the dying days of Now that we have left the EU, we will have new this Labour Front-Bench team, whose side is Labour opportunities as we design the future procurement rules. on, given that the Leader of the Opposition employed a I hope that both sides of the House can come together convicted electoral fraudster in his office? behind that work, so that we have maximum opportunity for every part of the UK. Mr William Wragg (Hazel Grove) (Con): May I say what a pleasure it is to see such a well stocked Treasury Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP): Can the Minister Bench for Cabinet Office questions, and how much I am confirm that post Brexit, contracts’ scoring metrics will looking forward to working with these Ministers? I am be able to add weight for local builders, so that we can sure the feeling is mutual. In the excellent Conservative keep the money in the local economy? manifesto, the Government said they would set up a constitution, democracy and rights commission to address Penny Mordaunt: As the hon. Gentleman knows, we these matters. Will my hon. Friend expand on the scope, are considering what reforms we can bring in. We have remit and timing of that commission? set out clearly the principle that this is not just about the immediate return on investment; it is about the long-term Chloe Smith: I welcome my hon. Friend to his post as opportunities that procurement would open up for every the new Chair of the Select Committee on Public part of the UK. Administration and Constitutional Affairs. I look forward to working with him, as do all the members of the team Voter Identification: Voting Fraud here this morning. The commission will examine broader aspects of the constitution in more depth and make 2. Mr David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden) (Con): proposals to restore trust in our institutions and in how Whether his Department has made an assessment of our democracy operates. Full details will be announced the extent to which the use of voter identification will in due course. Careful consideration is required, and I tackle voter fraud. [900972] am confident that there will be high-quality discussion of the proposals with the Select Committee.