Extract from Cabinet
Office topical questions
Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab): The
VIP lane for personal protective equipment procurement and the
unlawful activities associated with it was one of the early
scandals of this Government, but both the Serious Fraud Office
and the National Crime
Agency are unable to adequately investigate reports
of potential Government procurement fraud. Will the procurement
Bill establish a corrupt practices investigation unit to help to
investigate potential frauds associated with public
procurement?
The Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency
( ): As I mentioned, the
public sector fraud authority will be announced shortly, but I
think this attack on PPE is simply misplaced. The fact is that
everybody in the country was calling for PPE—[Interruption.] In
the world, as my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister for
the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General helpfully points out.
There was a dire and urgent need. Contracts were issued quickly
to build up supplies, and there was not ministerial involvement
in the award of contracts. Some 19.8 billion pieces of PPE were
delivered; it was a successful effort to meet a dire need where
the socialists opposite would have dithered and delayed.
Extract from Committee
stage of the National Security Bill
The Minister for Security ():...Amendments 19 and 32
add the British Transport police and the Ministry of Defence
police to the list of forces that can make a national security
determination under schedules 3 and 9 respectively, to make it
clear that the powers are available to those forces. A national
security determination allows for the extended retention and use
of biometric material for national security purposes. It must be
made in writing by a chief officer of police for a maximum of
five years, with the option of renewing. Amendment 32 adds
the National Crime
Agency to the list of forces that can make such a
determination in schedule 9, bringing it into line with schedule
3...
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