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Room 401
70 Whitehall
London, SW1A 2AS
foi-team@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
FOI Reference: FOI2021/15336
7 October 2021
Dear
We refer to your request where you asked:
“1 - Please can you confirm if you hold any correspondence between MP Siobhan
Baillie and Cabinet Office Ministers. Please limit the search to correspondence relating
to PPE procurement and PPE suppliers.
2 - Please provide a copy of all correspondence between MP Siobhan Baillie and
Cabinet office Ministers. Please limit the search to correspondence relating to PPE
procurement and PPE suppliers.
For both questions 1 and 2 please limit the search to the following date ranges: 1st
March 2020 to 30th June 2020.”
I apologise for the delay in responding to your request.
I am treating your correspondence as a request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
Following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the
information you requested is held by the Cabinet Office. Please find attached relevant
correspondence between MP Siobhan Baillie and Cabinet Office Ministers regarding
PPE procurement and/or PPE suppliers, between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2020.
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Some information has been redacted because it is exempt under section 40(2) of the
Freedom of Information Act. Section 40(2) exempts personal information from
disclosure if that information relates to someone other than the applicant, and if
disclosure of that information would, amongst other things, contravene one of the data
protection principles in schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act. In this case, I believe
disclosure would contravene the first data protection principle, which provides that
personal data must be processed fairly and lawfully. Section 40(2) is an absolute
exemption and the Cabinet Office is not obliged to consider whether the public interest
favours disclosing the information.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request or wish
to request an internal review, you should write to:
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
email: foi-team@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
You should note that the Cabinet Office will not normally accept an application for
internal review if it is received more than two months after the date that the reply was
issued.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may apply directly to
the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Commissioner cannot
make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the
Cabinet Office. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely
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1
Subject: FW: UK manufacturing
From:
Sent: 19 April 2020 16:51
To: BAILLIE, Siobhan <siobhan.baillie.mp@parliament.uk>
Subject: UK manufacturing
Hi Siobhan,
I hope all is well for you and your family?
I am writing briefly to you, in order to encourage you to look at UK manufacturing and public procurement after the
COVID 19 crisis.
At this time, around the UK, countless small, medium and large businesses are working to provide PPE and other
essential goods to key workers. Often, this is being done for no pay and in response to a sense of public need. In part
this is due to the difficulties arising from a supply chain so reliant on overseas manufacturing. It demonstrates our
citizens commitment and capabilities. I am sure you understand the intricacies of this dynamic.
I would like to propose that some kind of new procurement system is introduced for public service supply, that
encourages UK based provision of manufactured goods, through a mechanism something like one or more of the
following:
A % of all public sector procurement to be UK based
A requirement that all tenders and contracts require quotes from a % of UK based businesses
A requirement that all tenders and contracts require quotes from a % of UK based small businesses
I recognise that not all contracts will have UK supply options, and I am sure this could be managed into policy.
I believe there are opportunities to improve our balance of trade, to secure our economic security, to grow
employment levels and to improve our global competitive advantages. This pandemic must surely change priorities
and strategic decisions that are in the long term interests of the UK.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Regards,
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Lord Agnew Kt DL
Minister of State
HM Treasury and Cabinet Office
1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ
Ms Siobhan Baillie MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
By email:
siobhan.baillie.mp@parliament.uk
Our reference:
02 June 2020
Dear Siobhan,
Thank you for your email of 21 April, addressed to the Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy (BEIS), on behalf of your constituent, , regarding increasing
public procurement from UK companies after the Covid-19 pandemic has passed. I am replying
as the Cabinet Office is responsible for public procurement.
First, I would like to acknowledge the many British companies that have come forward offering to
contribute to our national effort. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has
received tens of thousands of offers from businesses of all kinds; from help procuring and making
personal protective equipment (PPE), through to logistics, and accommodation for workers.
Nevertheless, the Government is aware that this is an incredibly difficult time for many
businesses, and that is why we are committed to supporting economic recovery from the
enormous impact of the virus.
Each year, central government spends a significant sum on public procurement, and we are very
aware of the vital role this will play in kick-starting the economy once the pandemic has passed.
With this in mind, we intend to deliver a package of ambitious actions to support the recovery
effort, including strengthening measures to ensure that government purchasing power is used to
support communities and the local economy.
Being a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement
(GPA) gives British businesses access to £1.3 trillion in public procurement opportunities
overseas. The terms of that trade agreement mean we cannot simply discriminate against
suppliers from other GPA countries. However, the UK’s exit from the EU offers us a huge
opportunity to reform public procurement so that it better meets the needs of this country: simpler,
less bureaucratic processes for our businesses and better commercial outcomes for our public
bodies, all while continuing to comply with the GPA.