The problem has existed through successive Governments. However, I recognise it through my NHS trust, which is still paying sums that are much higher than the true value of the assets. It has been a problem under successive Governments, and the Tory Government have had years to sort it out if they had wanted to do so.
The Bill does not exclude private companies from getting contracts even where they are failing to abide by international labour law and other environmental standards. I therefore support amendment 4, which would ensure that no public contract would be let unless the supplier guaranteed payment of the real living wage, as calculated and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, to all employees, contracted staff and subcontractors. That is critical because about 4.8 million workers across the country are paid less than the real living wage.
There are a number of amendments and new clauses relating to national security. Indeed, we have heard a lot about national security in the debate. I want to mention briefly the victims of the brutal repression in Hong Kong, some of whose architects may shortly become suppliers to the Government, as mentioned by my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell). Recent years have seen curbs on the work of trade unions, the jailing of protestors and arrests of independent media outlets. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions was persecuted until it was dissolved. Many of its affiliates had been involved in industrial action, including a successful 2013 dock strike for pay and conditions at Hongkong International Terminals, owned by the Hong Kong-based CK Group.
Hon. Members may wonder what relevance this has to a debate about Government procurement in this country, The Minister will no doubt be aware that Vodafone is a so-called strategic supplier to the Government and an approved supplier on two framework agreements, providing a range of telecoms services, including mobile voice and data services. As such, Vodafone has an official Crown representative, appointed by the Cabinet Office, who liaises with it on behalf of the Government.
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Members will have heard about the forthcoming merger between Vodafone, which is a Government supplier, and Three, which is not—or at least, not yet. When the two companies merge, as they announced they plan to do, the owners of Three, the Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, will automatically become suppliers of communication services to this country’s Government.
Myriad evidence uncovered by Unite the union shows that that firm’s directors supported the repression of democracy in Hong Kong. The chair of CK Hutchison
Holdings, Victor Li, is an advisor to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, John Lee, who brutally stamped down on pro-democracy protests and implemented the city’s oppressive national security law. Victor Li supported John Lee’s appointment as a suitable choice, saying
“a city can only prosper when it is stable”,
and Victor is reportedly one of 34 members of the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers. He supported Hong Kong’s new security law, saying it would
“stabilize Hong Kong and help its society and economy return to normal”.
His father is Li Ka-shing, the founder and largest shareholder of the multinational firm, which owns businesses across the world, including Three and Hongkong International Terminals.
Unless the Government act, supporters and promoters of brutal repression in Hong Kong will shortly become suppliers to our Government. There is no excuse for the Government not to be aware of these connections. The question, really, is whether they care.
I conclude with a final question to the Minister: can he assure the House that companies owned by individuals linked to repression, detention and extreme human rights abuses will not be given access to Government contracts?