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Written question asked by Clive Lewis (Labour) on Wednesday, 15 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 17 May 2024. It was answered by Alex Burghart (Conservative) on Thursday, 23 May 2024 on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Public Sector: Contracts for Services

Question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to prevent public contracts from being awarded to companies that blacklist workers.

Answer

The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 contain exclusion grounds which allow contracting authorities to exclude suppliers from procurements where their tender does not comply with labour law or where the supplier is guilty of grave professional misconduct.

For example, a breach of the The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010, which prohibit the compilation, usage, sale or supply of blacklists of trade union members and activists, would render the supplier liable to potential exclusion.

In all cases, individual departments and other public sector bodies are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.

The Procurement Act, which is expected to go live in October 2024, builds on and clarifies the exclusions measures in the existing regime. This includes specific measures enabling the exclusion of suppliers for professional misconduct.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26534
Session
2023-24
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Contracts for services Public sector Vetting
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk