Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rupert Lowe this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 101–120 of 843 · Home Office
With reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, how many replacement cards were received; and what was the total cost to the public purse of the replacement.
The requested information is commercially sensitive.
What Key Performance Indicators are commonly applied across asylum contracts.
KPI schedules and performance measures are set out in the contracts which are available on Contracts Finder and can be found in the links below:Wales - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts FinderSouth - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts FinderNW - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts FinderMEE - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts FinderNEYH - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts FinderScotland - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts FinderNI - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts FinderCTM - CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder
With reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, why parts of the documentation relating to the contract are marked official sensitive; and what criteria are used to determine redactions.
Information considered commercially sensitive, containing personal information or other sensitive topics or information is not routinely published and is therefore redacted by the Home Office.
With reference to the contract, Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services, procurement reference CCTM22A01, if she will publish the minutes of the Benchmark Review.
The information requested is considered confidential and commercially sensitive and is therefore not publicly released.The Home Office operates a rigorous contract management regime, which includes monthly Contract Management Group meetings and Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings to discuss contract management issues and oversee performance. Two Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have been held.The minutes of the monthly and quarterly performance meetings and other review meetings are treated as commercially sensitive and are not publicly released.The Home Office also conducts regular reviews of its contracts to ensure that they deliver maximum value for money, but the minutes, notes, and outcomes of this work are commercially sensitive and not made publicly available.
With reference to the contract Support Payment Card, procurement reference 429018/148318, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of commercial confidentiality under that contract on provision of information to Parliament that helps facilitate scrutiny of value for money.
The Support Payment Card contract was awarded to Prepaid Financial Services Limited (PFS) on 24 May 2020 as a Call-Off to Lot 2 (Prepaid Cards) of the RM 3828 Crown Commercial Services Framework Contract for the provision of the Support Payment Card Service.PFS successfully secured a place on Lot 2 of the Framework Agreement along with four other suppliers. The Home Office determined which supplier could deliver the best value for money solution to the Home Office’s requirement. The evaluation considered both quality and price. Therefore, at the time of contract award, PFS’ solution offered the best value for money.As these services were compliantly procured, and we undertake regular reviews of Supplier performance and assessments of financial and commercial data via established governance forums, value for money is scrutinised on an ongoing basis.The risks of disclosing information that is considered confidential and commercially sensitive outweigh the benefits of disclosure. Release would impact on the Home Office’s ability to obtain maximum value for money for taxpayers. Disclosure of PFS’ commercially sensitive information could also impact upon their ability to compete for future services of this nature.
With reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, which officials and Ministers approved the final award decision, and on what dates.
The final award followed all internal approval processes, including appropriate governance committees. Ministerial approval was not required due to the value of the contract award.
With reference to the contract, Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services, procurement reference CCTM22A01, how many Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have taken place.
The information requested is considered confidential and commercially sensitive and is therefore not publicly released.The Home Office operates a rigorous contract management regime, which includes monthly Contract Management Group meetings and Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings to discuss contract management issues and oversee performance. Two Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have been held.The minutes of the monthly and quarterly performance meetings and other review meetings are treated as commercially sensitive and are not publicly released.The Home Office also conducts regular reviews of its contracts to ensure that they deliver maximum value for money, but the minutes, notes, and outcomes of this work are commercially sensitive and not made publicly available.
With reference to the contract Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services, procurement reference CCTM22A01, if he will publish all performance reports.
The information requested is considered confidential and commercially sensitive and is therefore not publicly released.The Home Office operates a rigorous contract management regime, which includes monthly Contract Management Group meetings and Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings to discuss contract management issues and oversee performance. Two Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have been held.The minutes of the monthly and quarterly performance meetings and other review meetings are treated as commercially sensitive and are not publicly released.The Home Office also conducts regular reviews of its contracts to ensure that they deliver maximum value for money, but the minutes, notes, and outcomes of this work are commercially sensitive and not made publicly available.
With reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, what controls exist to prevent (a) unnecessary and (b) duplicate payments being issued.
The Home Office has robust controls in place to ensure Support Payment Card transactions are accurate and appropriate, including system led instructions that issue the correct support level, active monitoring of ongoing eligibility, and prompt discontinuation of payments when an asylum seeker is no longer entitled.
With reference to the contract “Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services”, procurement reference CCTM22A01, if she will publish the minutes of the Quarterly Commercial Review meetings.
The information requested is considered confidential and commercially sensitive and is therefore not publicly released.The Home Office operates a rigorous contract management regime, which includes monthly Contract Management Group meetings and Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings to discuss contract management issues and oversee performance. Two Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have been held.The minutes of the monthly and quarterly performance meetings and other review meetings are treated as commercially sensitive and are not publicly released.The Home Office also conducts regular reviews of its contracts to ensure that they deliver maximum value for money, but the minutes, notes, and outcomes of this work are commercially sensitive and not made publicly available.
With reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, how many staff delivering services are subject to Security Clearance (SC); and what the average cost of clearance is per staff member.
The Home Office does not incur costs for Security Clearance (SC) under the Support Payment Card contract, as these are not charged through the contract, and we therefore do not hold data on the average cost per staff member.The number of staff subject to SC is also not held by the department, as staffing levels and clearance requirements sit with the provider, who is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate number of suitably cleared personnel are in place to deliver the services in accordance with contractual requirements.
With reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, what the administrative cost is for each card, excluding the value of payments loaded onto cards.
Information on the allowances provided to asylum seeking cohorts is publicly available: Asylum support: What you'll get - GOV.UKAdministrative costs related to the provision of payment cards are commercially sensitive and not for publication.
With reference to the contract, Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services, procurement reference CCTM22A01, if she will publish the minutes of all Monthly Operational Review meetings.
The information requested is considered confidential and commercially sensitive and is therefore not publicly released.The Home Office operates a rigorous contract management regime, which includes monthly Contract Management Group meetings and Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings to discuss contract management issues and oversee performance. Two Quarterly Commercial Review Meetings have been held.The minutes of the monthly and quarterly performance meetings and other review meetings are treated as commercially sensitive and are not publicly released.The Home Office also conducts regular reviews of its contracts to ensure that they deliver maximum value for money, but the minutes, notes, and outcomes of this work are commercially sensitive and not made publicly available.
What the total value of all active asylum-related contracts currently held by her Department is, broken down by supplier and contract type.
The contract values for asylum contracts are available in the public domain and can be viewed at:Serco -AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder Mears -AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder CRH -AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder CTM -CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts FinderContract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder PFS -Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder The Big Word Group Limited - Contract for the provision of Language Analysis Services - Contracts Finder VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder
With reference to contract “Support Payment Card”, procurement reference 429018/1483183, whether alternative delivery models were considered prior to awarding the contract, including in-house provision.
Alternative delivery models, including in-house provision, were considered.
What the role of Ministers is in approving or reviewing the award of high-value asylum contracts.
Prior to receiving internal, Home Office Commercial approvals, to award these contracts, supplier performance was reviewed and due diligence was carried out. Necessary external approvals from Cabinet Office Spend Controls were also obtained. The guidance for Cabinet Office Spend Controls applies to commercial activities costing £20 million or more, and is available here: Commercial spend controls (version 7) - GOV.UKDetails of the Principles for Ministerial involvement in commercial activity and the contacting process are included here: Principles for Ministerial involvement in commercial activity and the contracting process - GOV.UK
Whether the Department will publish a consolidated annual report setting out total asylum contract expenditure, performance outcomes, and value-for-money assessments.
The Home Office Annual Report and accounts contain details of asylum spending and information relating to asylum processing and the asylum system. There are no current plans to expand this reported information.
What checks are undertaken by her Department on bidders’ prior performance on other public sector contracts, including any history of underperformance or contract failure, during the bidding process for contracts with her Department.
All Home Office contracts are procured in line with public sector procurement regulations. As part of these regulations, robust due diligence checks are carried out on the bidders’ ability to deliver the contract in question and, in certain circumstances, it may be necessary to exclude bidders in line with relevant regulations.
What proportion of asylum-related expenditure is delivered through outsourced contracts rather than in-house provision.
We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.
With reference to the contract, Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services, procurement reference CCTM22A01, what the annual cost is of the requirement that transport requests will be taken at short notice, all day every day.
Prior to receiving internal, Home Office Commercial approvals, to award this contract supplier performance was reviewed and due diligence was carried out. Necessary external approvals from Cabinet Office Spend Controls were also obtained prior to the contract award. The guidance for Cabinet Office Spend Controls applies to commercial activities costing £20 million or more, and is published on gov.uk at: Commercial spend controls (version 7) - GOV.UK.The final contract signature was completed on 24 March 2023.All Home Office contracts are procured in line with public sector procurement regulations. As part of these regulations, robust checks are carried out on suppliers’ ability to deliver the contract in question and, in certain circumstances, it may be necessary to exclude bidders in line with relevant regulations.CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract was a direct award under the CCS Travel and Venue Solutions Framework Agreement (RM6217) – Lot 2. CTM were the sole supplier within Lot 2.Financial information cannot be provided in the granular detail requested.