Written questions by Norris.

With reference to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster's speech entitled Move fast. Fix things., published on 20 January 2026, what discussions he has had with regional mayors on lessons learned from Project Reset.

The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister’s (CSPM) speech set out how “Project Reset” would slash bureaucracy and enable civil servants to move fast. It will mean fewer repeated permissions required, giving those closer to real decision-making more freedom and autonomy to deliver change. CSPM has met with Mayors including the Mayor of the North East, the Mayor of the East Midlands, and the Mayor of London. These discussions included barriers to delivery.

What steps he is taking to reform public procurement.

Since coming into office, this Government has published a new, more ambitious, National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) setting out our vision for public procurement aligned with the priorities in the Plan for Change. To support the implementation of the NPPS in central government we introduced new measures including an updated and streamlined social value model. This includes new ‘fair work’ criteria to support our Make Work Pay agenda, and measures to support SMEs and VCSEs such as the publication of direct spend targets and regular spot-checks to enforce 30-day payment requirements. Building on these actions, in Summer 2025, this Government consulted on further procurement reforms that aim to deliver economic growth and support local communities by driving better procurement outcomes, supporting British businesses, and creating good quality jobs. We will set out our response to the consultation in due course.

What recent progress his Department has made on protecting people from cyber threats.

I refer to my answer for UIN 80985, tabled on 10 October 2025.

What steps he is taking to improve cross-Government coordination on preparedness for a future pandemic.

The Government is committed to improving pandemic preparedness. As the response to Module One of the Covid-19 inquiry made clear, the Cabinet Office is playing a greater role in preparedness for cross-cutting catastrophic risks. Our preparedness for future pandemics has been stepped up through Exercise Pegasus, the largest ever national pandemic response exercise. The exercise will test national to local coordination arrangements, and lessons from the exercise will help strengthen pandemic preparedness at national and local levels.

What progress is being made on paying compensation to people affected by the Infected Blood Scandal.

The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). As of 9 September, IBCA has contacted 3,471 people to start their compensation claim, and 3,122 have started the claim process. 1,615 offers of compensation have been made, totalling over £1.2 billion, and so far 1,299 people have accepted their offers with more than £897 million paid in compensation. This means, as of 9 September, over 90% of infected people registered with a support scheme have been contacted to begin their claim. IBCA expects the first claims from the cohort of people who are infected but have never been compensated, as they are not registered with an infected blood support scheme, to begin in October 2025. IBCA will also start the first claims for deceased infected people, and affected people, by December 2025.

What steps he is taking to help support (a) small and medium-sized businesses and (b) social enterprises in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency to be awarded government contracts.

The Government is determined to ensure the £385 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually, delivers economic growth and supports small businesses across the country. For too long, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) have been held back by government procurement processes that are too slow, bureaucratic, and difficult to navigate. The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) sets out the Government’s strategic priorities for public procurement and builds on measures in the Procurement Act including an expectation for all public bodies to maximise procurement spend with SMEs and VCSEs. In central government, we have announced new rules to drive greater transparency and accountability for increasing numbers of SMEs and VCSEs delivering public contracts. From 1 April 2025 central government departments must set three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs, and from 1 April 2026 for VCSEs, and to publish progress annually. The Government is also currently consulting on further reforms to our public procurement processes to build on the changes introduced in the Procurement Act. In particular, these reforms will open up more opportunities for SMEs and VCSEs.

Whether estates managed by the Government Property Agency took part in No Mow May.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) does not manage participation of No Mow May centrally. However, estates are encouraged to take part in such initiatives if operationally feasible on a site by site basis. As such several sites took part across the GPA estate.