Tag: Cabinet Office

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 9 January 2023.

• Procurement Bill, which will simplify four sets of laws into one, to have Second Reading today in House of Commons
• The simpler, more flexible and less complicated rules will open up more government procurement for small businesses and voluntary and community groups
• Bill takes advantage of post-Brexit opportunities, allowing the UK to shape its own procurement rules, while complying with international obligations

Transformative new rules which rip up bureaucratic EU regulations will be debated in the House of Commons today.

The Procurement Bill, which will have its Second Reading in the House of Commons, will make it easier for small businesses (SMEs) to win more of the £300billion of goods, services and works that the government buys each year.

The Bill introduces new rules to help the government procure in emergency situations, such as during health pandemics, ensuring that contracting authorities can act quickly and transparently to buy vital goods.

These simpler rules take advantage of freedoms now that Britain has left the EU, as well as strengthening the government’s ability to exclude suppliers who may have previously underperformed on government work. The rules will help exclude suppliers, both in the UK and overseas who are involved in modern slavery – further clamping down on this abhorrent practice.

The Bill also confirms that value for money remains paramount during contracting, whilst also encouraging buyers to take into account other relevant wider social and environmental considerations the supplier may bring.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said:

We are making public sector procurement simpler, more transparent and easier to navigate.

This Bill will seize the opportunity presented by Brexit to rip up outdated rules, increase opportunities for smaller companies and deliver better value for public money.

We are determined to deliver the best possible results from the £300billion the public sector spends each year on procurement.

That’s why by ending the complicated web of rules and regulations inherited from the EU to even bid for public sector work, we will ensure smaller companies are better able to bring their drive, ingenuity and innovation to Government.

SMEs

The new, more flexible rules will benefit SMEs in particular, through a number of provisions being written into the Bill to lift barriers for small businesses. These include:

• Greater visibility of upcoming work, giving SMEs more time to gear up for bidding
• A new central platform showing future work in each area. This means for example a new SME tech firm in Lancashire will be able to search for tech opportunities upcoming in their region
• Creating one single website to register on, rather than the multiple and time consuming systems SMEs currently have to register on before bidding for work
• Reducing unnecessary insurance costs before a supplier has even bid for a contract
• A new Competitive Flexible procedure, which will allow contractors to design more innovation into the process, benefiting smaller tech startups
• Strengthening prompt payment, so that businesses throughout the public sector supply chain receive payment within 30 days

To further underline how the Bill will help SMEs, the Cabinet Office is today publishing a document outlining the benefits of the changes for prospective suppliers.

Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burhart said:

We know that complex rules have long been one of the major challenges for SMEs trying to win government work.

And while government spending with small businesses is rising, we want to turbocharge this growth.

This Bill will deliver on that, making it easier for SMEs, who make up 99% of UK businesses, to compete for and win government contracts, through smarter, simpler and more flexible regulations.

Elizabeth Vega, Group CEO of Informed Solutions, said:

SMEs are vital for growth in our economy and vibrant local communities. They are often the largest local employers, the most active members of our local communities, and amongst those businesses most willing to invest in their local communities, train and upskill their staff.

So I am delighted that Government is strengthening the support for this sector in its proposed reforms. In particular, placing a specific requirement on public sector buyers to ensure a level playing field for small and medium sized suppliers by addressing the procurement barriers that these businesses often face in competing for public sector contract opportunities.

Emergency procurement and transparency

The Bill will make procurement more transparent and effective during times of emergency, for example a health pandemic, where government needs to act quickly to buy vital goods and services at speed.

During the COVID pandemic, the UK, along with many other countries internationally, relied on direct awards to ensure that vital supplies, such as life-saving PPE, were bought quickly and to high standards.

The new rules will bring more competition into this process, by encouraging more competitive buying in a quick time frame.

The normal tendering process takes a minimum of 30 days, which is not practical in most emergency circumstances. The Bill will allow faster competition processes for emergency buying, reducing the reliance on direct awards while retaining and improving the government’s ability to act at pace in situations similar to the COVID pandemic. Clearer requirements on the identification and management of conflicts of interest for those involved in and responsible for procurement are also part of the Bill.

Supplier exclusion

The Bill will put in place a new exclusions framework that will make it easier for government to exclude suppliers who have underperformed on other contracts. It will also create a new ‘debarment register’, accessible to all public sector organisations, which will list companies who should be excluded from contracts. The Bill will also strengthen the government’s ability to exclude suppliers from bidding for work if there’s evidence of modern slavery in their supply chain, both in the UK or overseas.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 5 January 2023.

The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6 May.

In line with His Majesty’s wish for the event to be rooted in tradition but reflective of today, and in accordance with Government advice, a Coronation Claims Office has been created within the Cabinet Office to consider claims to perform an historic or ceremonial role.

This replaces the Court of Claims, which fulfilled a similar role for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953.

When looking at claims, the Coronation Claims Office will consider matters including whether the role or service was performed in 1953 or not, what the basis is for it to be performed now and the claimant’s connection to those who previously performed the role or service.

Officials from the Coronation Claims Office will consult with ecclesiastical experts from Lambeth Palace and ceremonial experts from the Royal Household when considering claims.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said:

His Majesty The King’s Coronation will be a momentous occasion in the history of our country. The new Coronation Claims Office will ensure we fulfil The King’s wish that the ceremony is rooted in tradition and pageantry but also embraces the future.

All claims must be submitted in writing to the Coronation Claims Office by 5.30pm on Friday 3 February 2023.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 4 January 2023.

• The consultation seeks views on an amendment to existing legislation to make it easier for citizens to prove and reuse their identity when accessing online government services
• The public consultation will run for eight weeks, from 4 January 2023
• Cabinet Office invites the public to review and respond to the consultation

The consultation, which will run for 8 weeks, focuses on amending existing legislation to make it easier for citizens to prove their identity by supporting data-sharing and identity reuse across government. It will do this by strengthening the legal basis for public sector data-sharing for identity verification purposes.

As part of the GOV.UK One Login programme, the Government Digital Service (GDS), part of the Cabinet Office, is collaborating with departments to build a single sign-on and identity checking solution for all public services, called GOV.UK One Login. It will replace more than 190 existing sign in routes and 44 separate accounts. By using GOV.UK One Login, citizens will be able to prove their identity online and then reuse it to access all government services online via a single account.

Inclusion is at the heart of this legislative change. The legislation will mean citizens will be able to use a variety of government-held datasets to verify their identity online, rather than having to rely on traditional identity documents, which many citizens do not have access to.

To help realise this ambition, the Cabinet Office is proposing a new regulation under the Digital Economy Act 2017 to strengthen the ability for departments to share necessary information to support identity verification and reuse.

This update will mean users no longer have to repeatedly share the same details when interacting with public services on GOV.UK. Additionally, it will save taxpayers’ money by preventing duplicate identity checks being carried out across government, supporting efficient service delivery through joined-up working and enabling more users to access online services.

This activity supports the government’s mission to deliver better outcomes for citizens by building one fast, simple, secure way for users to sign in to services and prove their identity through GOV.UK One Login, as part of government’s Transforming for a Digital Future roadmap.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 30 December 2022.

The New Year Honours List 2023 marks the incredible public service of individuals from across the UK.

Recipients in the New Year Honours List have been awarded for their outstanding contributions across all parts of the UK for their work on areas including sustained public service, youth engagement and community work.

Such recipients include 100-year-old Peter Offord Davies from Macclesfield, who has been awarded a BEM for his work as a reading volunteer at Dean Valley Community Primary School in Bollington, Macclesfield.

Pamela Goldsmith from West Sussex is also being awarded an BEM, for raising more than £1.5 million for Macmillan in 20 years of volunteering. Jade Clarke, who represented the United Kingdom at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and glassblower John Reyntiens, who is most well-known for the bespoke stained-glass window at the North End of Westminster Hall which was gifted to Her Majesty the Queen for her 2012 Diamond Jubilee, receive MBEs.

Jawahir Roble, from London, and who grew up playing football in war-torn Mogadishu, has also been awarded an MBE for services to football, after becoming the first black, female, Muslim, hijab-wearing referee in the UK.

Following her commitment to help children and families fleeing Ukraine, Cambridgeshire resident Louenna Hood has been awarded a British Empire Medal. Her voluntary work has seen more than £170,000 raised to help people fleeing the war-torn country and she has helped to organise the delivery of five container loads of essentials directly to people in need.

Asrar Ul-Haq DL was one of the first Asian police officers in Greater Manchester Police and spent his career in policing building a positive relationship between marginalised communities and law enforcement. His work bringing together people from different faiths and backgrounds for a common good has earned him an OBE.

Jim Jones, who is also a police officer in Greater Manchester, has also been recognised with a BEM for his work to improve the way police forces work with military veterans. His close work with the veterans community has seen veterans encouraged to consider jobs within the police force and his approach has been followed by many other police forces across the country.

Key members of the England Lionesses football team are also honoured after their outstanding performance in the summer. Squad captain Leah Williamson receives an OBE, while star player Lucy Bronze, golden boot Beth Mead, and England women’s top international goal scorer Ellen White are all awarded MBEs.

A CBE has been awarded to Pat Jennings, for his football and charity service in Northern Ireland. MBEs go to Scotland’s football captain Andy Robertson for his work with young people and to Chris Kamara for his charity and anti-racism work.

At DBE there is an award for Virginia McKenna, for her work in wildlife conservation and amongst the knighthoods is an award for Robin Millar, for his work in music and disabilities and Grayson Perry for services to the arts.

There is a significant breadth of service recognised across the entirety of the UK. Recipients include MBEs for Gee Walker, founder and patron of the Anthony Walker Foundation; Charles Banks, Chair of the NorthWest Users Group and Secretary, Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association; and Judith Backus, the Founder of Hidden Help, a charity helping disadvantaged people in Cornwall.

The youngest recipient in the List is 18-year-old Dara Seamus McAnulty who receives a BEM for his environmental work and for his work with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 21 December 2022.

More than £8.5 million of funding has been announced in order to ensure no veteran should sleep rough this Christmas, and veteran homelessness is ended in 2023.

• £8.55m funding announced for more than 900 veteran supported housing units with specialist help for former armed forces personnel.
• The funding for a bespoke homelessness pathway, called Op FORTITUDE – similar to Op COURAGE for Mental Health care, to ensure every veteran at risk of homelessness knows where to turn.

More than £8.5 million of funding has been announced in order to ensure no veteran should sleep rough this Christmas, and veteran homelessness is ended in 2023.

The funding will deliver services in more than 900 housing units in England, where specialist help for veterans, including with health, education and employment needs are provided.

The new money announced today will also allow for the establishment of a new referral scheme – Op FORTITUDE, that will enable veterans at risk of homelessness to access supported housing and wrap-around specialist care in health, housing and education. Working with charities, the funding will ensure a single central point for local authorities and charities to identify those in need and refer them to a network of support.

Ahead of the funding, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer worked with the veteran housing charity sector, bringing them together to establish a temporary referral scheme in England and Scotland for the Christmas period, ensuring that no Veterans should be sleeping rough this Christmas.

Veterans can access the scheme through a dedicated charity helpline, on the number 01748 833797.

This temporary referral scheme should ensure that no veteran who seeks support is homeless at Christmas.

The Prime Minister will today host an event at No10 attended by charities Riverside and Stoll, along with veterans who were previously homeless. The Prime Minister will discuss with attendees the issue of veteran homelessness and how the government, including the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, can best ensure that everyone who needs support gets it.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer and Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen will also attend.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said:

No one, not least those who have served this country, should be homeless.

That’s why today we are committing £8.5m in funding and supporting a dedicated pathway, set up in collaboration with our charity partners, so veterans can not only get the housing support they need this Christmas, but also the vital backing required to help them get on their feet again.

As a government we remain steadfastly committed to ending veteran homelessness in 2023.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen said:

It’s a sad fact that so many people who have served this country find themselves sleeping rough on the streets.

Our mission is to put a stop to that, which is why we’re providing £8.5m in funding for over 900 housing units that support our veterans and creating a new service that will help those at risk of homeless access housing much more easily.

Today’s announcement should ensure that no veteran who seeks help will be on the streets this Christmas.

Lee Buss-Blair, the Director of Operations for The Riverside Group, and Member of the Veterans Advisory Board said:

This funding will make a significant difference to the lives of vulnerable veterans.

Not only will it support the Government’s commitment to end veteran rough sleeping, but it will also provide organisations the resources to support veterans into work.

Veterans have so much to offer employers and communities, and thanks to this funding, providers will be far better placed to support them to realise their potential.

The funding will ensure the government’s pledge in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 to end veteran rough sleeping within this Parliament, is delivered a year early.

Running for two years the funding provides help and support to some of the most vulnerable veterans in our society.

The vast majority of veterans go on to live happy, healthy and successful lives. But some do struggle and today’s announcement further demonstrates the government’s commitment to making this the best country in the world to be a veteran.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 20 December 2022.

Report published on how location data can help build an electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint network that works for everyone, everywhere.

The Geospatial Commission today publishes a report on how location data can support the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints and announces a project to improve access to demand modelling.

To build a chargepoint network that can work for everyone, chargepoints must be rolled out where they are needed for today and tomorrow. Location data is key to building the right infrastructure in the right places, giving confidence to current and future EV owners that they can efficiently reach their destination.

The UK government has committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. A comprehensive and reliable public EV chargepoint network is critical to greater adoption of EVs. The UK’s charging network must expand rapidly so that it is dependable, fair and covers the entire country.

The report identifies how location data can help model future demand, select suitable sites, create a seamless consumer experience and track rollout. To improve the use of location data, the report announces that the Geospatial Commission will:

1. Launch a feasibility study into how to widen access to demand modelling, to provide planners with data-driven evidence to identify how many and what types of chargepoints need to go where and by when.
2. Explore the creation of a geospatial dataset for off-street parking, to support planners to identify suitable sites for chargepoints and avoid wasted effort.
3. Support the government to make chargepoint data more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) and track how market innovators use the data to create new services which enhance the consumer experience.

Baroness Neville Rolfe, Minister of State, Cabinet Office, said:

“The UK must have an electric vehicle chargepoint network that works for the entire country. The Geospatial Commission’s report highlights how location data can help build the right infrastructure in the right places. Drivers will then have the confidence to switch to EVs in the knowledge that they will be able to charge them easily and efficiently and not be delayed in reaching their destination wherever it is.”

Jesse Norman, Minister of State, Department for Transport, said:

“We want to ensure that the UK keeps its position as a world leader in decarbonising road transport. That is why the government is working to build an electric vehicle chargepoint network that works for everyone, everywhere. Location data is a crucial part in accelerating the transition to a sustainable transport system, and I look forward to working with the Geospatial Commission to realise our ambition for electric vehicles.”

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 19 December 2022.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 16 December 2022.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 15 December 2022.

Baroness Noakes DBE has been appointed as the Conservative Party Member for the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Baroness Noakes will commence the role on 1st January 2023, after Baroness Browning’s term comes to an end.

The Baroness Noakes DBE

The Baroness Noakes DBE was made a life peer in 2000. In 2001, she served as the Opposition Spokesperson for Work and Pension and Health, in 2003 serving as the Opposition Spokesperson for The Treasury, before working on a number of Lords Committees. Prior to becoming a peer she served as a Partner at KPMG, Director of Finance of the NHS Management Executive and a member of the Court of the Bank of England (Director of the Bank of England). She currently sits on the Economic Affairs Committee, Finance Committee, and the Finance Bill Sub-Committee in the House of Lords.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, welcomed Baroness Noakes’s appointment, saying:

I would like to congratulate Baroness Noakes on her appointment to the House of Lords Appointments Commission and I am grateful to Baroness Browning for her excellent service over the last five years. Baroness Noakes brings to the role a depth of experience and commitment to public service that will be of huge value to the Commission.

Notes:

The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) has two main functions:

• to recommend individuals for appointment as non-party political life peers;
• and to vet nominations for life peers, including those nominated by the UK political parties, to ensure the highest standards of propriety.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 5 December 2022.

• Latest figures show more than £400m of taxpayer money has been saved by the National Fraud initiative (NFI), bringing total counter fraud savings to £2.4bn
• Cutting edge data tool helps identify businesses and people trying to steal public money
• Fraudulent disabled passes and bogus benefit claims blocked in crackdown

The equivalent healthcare costs for 129k people in England over the last year has been kept in the government coffers by fraud-fighters, new figures published by the Cabinet Office have revealed.

More than £400 million has been saved for the public purse using cutting-edge data matching software, as the Government clamps down on benefits and tax fraud.

The National Fraud Initiative enables organisations to use data and match records so they can pick up where people or businesses are taking the government for a ride. Since its inception, it’s identified and helped recover around £2.4bn.

The latest figures show around 42,000 fraudulent disabled blue badges were being used and more than 225,000 cases where discounted travel cards of people who had died or didn’t qualify for concessions have now been blocked.

Around 7,000 people who were clogging up the social housing waiting lists of 102 councils despite not being eligible have been identified and removed, opening up affordable housing for those who need it.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said:

British people work hard for every penny and they rightly expect the government to put everything they’ve got into protecting taxpayers’ money.

“Money stolen from the government through fraud is theft from every taxpayer.

This report shows we saved the taxpayer £443 million. When the country is tightening its belt, government must do the same.

To be even more effective, earlier this year, we set up a new anti-fraud authority which is designed by and led by fraud experts whose express mission is to take the fight to fraudsters.

One case study was in Sandwell where an individual was offered social housing. They then claimed to a neighbouring council that they were homeless and were offered temporary housing. The use of NFI data-matching allowed the fraud to be identified and the individual is now in arrears of nearly £100,000.

Another came in Tameside where a hospitality business which was ineligible for small business support lied to two councils about its size and received more than £40,000 in rates relief.

Interim CEO of the Public Sector Fraud Authority Mark Cheeseman said:

Every day, people are attacking taxpayer funded services for their own gain. The Public Sector Fraud Authority, where the National Fraud Initiative is now based, is part of a wider investment across government to rise to this challenge.

In a difficult context, these latest results are still the best since the National Fraud Initiative started in 1996 – stopping more fraud than at any other point in its history and protecting public money and public services. This achievement is a testament to the work of public servants across the United Kingdom, including Local Authorities and NHS Trusts, who are striving to find and stop fraud.

The newly-established Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) has been backed by £25 million of new funding with a target of saving £180 million for the taxpayer by April 2023.

The PSFA houses the National Counter Fraud Data Analytics Service which includes the NFI, putting the use of data and analytics at the heart of the response to fraud. The new Authority will be working across the government to better understand fraud and solidify defences.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen said:

This government is coming down hard on fraudsters, using cutting edge data to track them and recover public money.

We’re boosting that work with an extra £280 million to tackle benefit fraud and £79 million to tackle tax fraud. No one is above the law.

At the Autumn Statement, the government announced that it will invest £79 million to tackle tax fraud. HMRC will be given £48 million to strengthen HMRC’s approach to serious fraud, allowing HMRC to pursue more cases, while another £31m will increase HMRC’s capacity to deal with complex tax risks amongst wealthy taxpayers. Together, this investment is expected to raise £725m over the next five years.

An additional £280 million in funding for the Department for Work and Pensions to tackle fraud and error across the benefits system will also help to save £410 million in the next two years and £2.2 billion per year by 2027/28.