like Fujitsu with terrible track records from bidding for future contracts, and if absolutely necessary legislate accordingly?” Mr Burghart also told Sir David: “There are clearly defined circumstances in which the Government can exclude companies from b

FUJITSU will not bid for government contracts while an inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal is ongoing, Alex Burghart, the Cabinet Office minister, has said.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Burghart said the Japanese technology company had written to the Cabinet Office to say it was “voluntarily” undertaking not to bid for government contracts during that time unless asked. It comes amid calls for the company to be blocked from bidding for future contracts. Hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly convicted of stealing after the defective Horizon accounting system, developed by Fujitsu’s ICL business, made it appear as though money was missing at their branches. The Post Office Horizon IT inquiry is ongoing.

Mr Burghart told the Commons yesterday: “This morning [the] Cabinet Office received a letter from Fujitsu voluntarily undertaking not to bid for government contracts whilst the inquiry is ongoing, unless, of course, the Government ask them to.”

He was responding to Sir David Davis, the former Cabinet minister, who called for companies such as Fujitsu to be blocked from bidding for future government contracts based on having “terrible track records”.

Sir David told the Commons: “This week it’s been reported the Government tried to block Fujitsu from bidding for future contracts on the basis of woeful performance in previous contracts ... Government lawyers advised this could not be done. They are wrong. So, will the Government give further serious thought to blocking large companies provided and the company’s UK revenues. Since 2012, the sector as a whole has awarded Fujitsu almost 200 contracts worth a total of £6.8billion, according to analysts Tussell. About 43 of those contracts are still in operation, worth a total of £3.6billion, including the Post Office Horizon contract, and multiple government departments including the Home Office, Foreign Office, Defra and Ministry of Defence.