Contributions
1,101 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD InterserveOnce again, I reassure the right hon. Gentleman that there will be no additional costs in respect of those contracts as a result of the corporate restructuring, as the company…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI thank my hon. Friend for his question; as a former member of his Committee I know about his considerable expertise in this field. Indeed, the expertise provided by his Committee…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI will take as a compliment the hon. Gentleman’s opening remarks saying that I have spun this well. I have not spun it well; I have set out the facts, which are that the situation…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveAs I have said, I would rather that this corporate restructuring had happened in a smoother way. It has happened through a pre-pack process, but as a result, the companies…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveAs I have said repeatedly from this Dispatch Box, the Government undertake appropriate contingency planning in respect of all our strategic suppliers. We have not had to invoke…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI thank the hon. Gentleman for his questions. As he knows, I have great respect for him, but he rather overstates the case in respect of Interserve. Let me go through some of the…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveOnce again, I remind the House that that contract was awarded in September 2018 by Highways England. I absolutely assure the hon. Lady that there will be no change in the delivery…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI understand the hon. Gentleman’s frustration with the behaviour of some of the hedge funds concerned, and their failure to agree to this refinancing. However, I reassure him that…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI am acutely conscious of the jobs that are at stake, which is why I welcome this refinancing. It means that there is £100 million extra cash in the company and there are lower…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveThe Ministry of Justice, in consultation with the Cabinet Office, the Treasury and others, is looking at the approach to probation contracts. It has already made announcements and…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI welcome the hon. Lady’s acknowledgement that this situation is different to Carillion. She rightly raises the point about project bank accounts, and I know that she has been a…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI thank the hon. Gentleman for both of those questions. Let me deal with each in turn. Interserve will make decisions as to employment and other things on an ongoing basis.…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveAs ever, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. First, straight off the bat, I can give suppliers in his constituency that assurance. There is absolutely no change in the status of…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI have a great deal of respect for the hon. Lady and I know that she has considerable expertise in this field. It is precisely for that reason that in reforming the process of…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveAs ever, my hon. Friend raises a very important point. He is absolutely right that, post-Carillion, we must ensure that we strengthen the supply chain. One of the ways in which we…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI take this opportunity to reassure the hon. Lady and the House that I am most certainly not in the dark about the position of our strategic suppliers. Almost every week I meet…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveLet me restate this point. My hon. Friend raised the issue of whether this situation was a near miss, as compared with Carillion. The situation with Carillion was very different:…18 Mar 2019HANSARD InterserveI have been asked to respond on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. As I have said repeatedly to the House, the…18 Mar 2019HANSARDGeneral Election (Leaders’ Debate) BillI thank my hon. Friend for that clarification. None the less, there is a lack of flexibility. For example, if there was a major incident, which we have seen in the past, and it…15 Mar 2019HANSARDGeneral Election (Leaders’ Debate) BillMy hon. Friend makes a good point. None the less, when we are drafting primary legislation, we should have clarity about the sanctions that flow from a breach of laws passed by…15 Mar 2019