UK minister accused of cronyism over contracts
A COMPANY owned by the sister of England’s health minister Matt Hancock won a £150,000 contract with NHS Wales.
UK Government cabinet minister Mr Hancock owns more than 15% of the shares of a company called Topwood Ltd which is based on Wrexham Industrial Estate in Wrexham.
The company specialises in the secure storage, shredding and scanning of documents. Its director Emily Gilruth is Matt Hancock’s sister.
Its contract with the NHS, which appears twice on the public sector contracts page, is to provide confidential waste destruction for Betsi Cadwaladr health board.
Mr Hancock has no role in or responsibility for the Welsh NHS. But questions have been raised about why a company so closely connected with him won a place as a potential supplier to the English NHS on the Shared Businesses Services framework.
The Health Service Journal (HSJ) broke the story and reported that securing a place on the framework makes it easier for local NHS organisations to use the firm for their waste disposal services, by providing a “compliant route to market”, according to the published contract award notice.
Topwood won a place on the framework in 2019, the year after Mr Hancock became health secretary.
Justin Madders MP, Labour’s shadow health minister, said: “It is now clear this Conservative Government has been infected with widespread cronyism and is unable to identify where the line is drawn between personal and departmental interests. It’s one rule for them, another for everybody else.
“There are serious questions to answer from Matt Hancock and there needs to be a full inquiry and immediate publication of all documents relating to Topwood’s acceptance onto the framework contract in 2019.”
Commenting to the HSJ the Department of Health and Social Care said that: “All declarations of interest have been made in accordance with the ministerial code.”
It added that neither Mr Hancock nor the department had any role in contract awards, and no active involvement in the company. It said he had discussed the recent gift to him of shares in the firm with the permanent secretary before accepting them, and had been told that any conflicts which may arise could be appropriately handled.
It said the new shareholding in the firm was only known about because Mr Hancock has followed transparency rules – it came to light because it has recently been published in the MPs’ register of interests.