Contributions
1,336 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementAs I said, 90% of them did not get a contract, so it was not that they were being given some sort of guarantee of a contract. That scheme was a way of managing the contacts that…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementI have good news for the hon. Member. We published the information about who referred in which contracts in November 2021.24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementI have set out the challenge. We had a situation where MPs and Ministers were all being contacted by constituents who were desperate to help and who either had contacts with…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementThat was the underperforming contract that I referred to in my previous answer, and I set out the process that we go through when we take action on underperforming contracts.…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementMy hon. Friend is completely correct. Some have short memories. Many of us stood up in this House to chivvy Ministers, asking, “Why aren’t you going faster? Why don’t you do more?…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementOf course we take action whenever we find underperforming contracts, and I have set out how we do that. We are working our way through that. I say simply to the hon. Gentleman…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementSourcing, producing and distributing PPE is, even in normal times, a uniquely complex challenge. However, the efforts to do so during a pandemic, at a time when global demand was…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementI cannot comment on the latest goings-on in the jungle but the answer to the hon. Gentleman’s point is the same as I have given before: there is a clear process, which every PPE…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementMy hon. Friend is completely correct. When Mrs Justice O’Farrell went through these cases, she noted in her summing up that given the time-sensitive nature of the work, it was not…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementWe are prepared to litigate whenever a company did not provide. There is a process, which I set out earlier. In many cases, there were people who did have important contacts in…24 Nov 2022HANSARD Covid-19: PPE ProcurementI read the same article as the hon. Gentleman. I notice that it did not lead to a contract—the case that was mentioned in The Guardian —but more generally, absolutely, there are…24 Nov 2022HANSARDSmokefree 2030The hon. Gentleman is right that these services are hugely important. All authorities saw an increase last year and there is a 2.8% increase this year, with funding heavily…03 Nov 2022HANSARDSmokefree 2030I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) and the hon. Member for City of Durham (Mary Kelly Foy) for securing this important debate. I add my voice to the…03 Nov 2022HANSARDCold Weather: Long-term Health EffectsMy right hon. Friend is so right, and she has been a powerful champion on this issue. We have invested £1.5 billion to get an extra 50 million GP appointments per year. The number…01 Nov 2022HANSARDCold Weather: Long-term Health EffectsThe hon. Gentleman implies that I disagree with him about this. In fact, the Government are working hard to clamp down on squalid housing. That is exactly what we were doing in my…01 Nov 2022HANSARDCold Weather: Long-term Health EffectsWe are taking the action that I have just been describing in terms of direct support for households. Of course, because health is devolved, we are also helping the devolved…01 Nov 2022HANSARDLocal Dental ProvisionThat is extremely concerning. This year, in NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, there were 1,255 active dentists, compared with 1,248 the previous year. However, there is clearly…01 Nov 2022HANSARDLocal Dental ProvisionDuring the pandemic, we provided £1.7 billion to protect dental services. Now, through the improvements announced in the summer and our recent plan for patients, we will pay…01 Nov 2022HANSARDCold Weather: Long-term Health EffectsI actually agree with the first part of the hon. Gentleman’s point. That is why, as well as the huge direct support to households, we are investing £12 billion in Help to Heat…01 Nov 2022HANSARDCold Weather: Long-term Health EffectsPensioners and children are particularly vulnerable to cold weather, which is why we are spending £37 billion on our energy support package. A typical household will save a…01 Nov 2022