Press briefing: morning 10 December 2013
The Prime Minister’s Spokesperson (PMS) spoke about the Mandela memorial, defence procurement, universal credit and balance of competences.
Mandela memorial
Asked about the Prime Minister’s (PM’s) attendance at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service, the PMS said the PM had met informally with several leaders before the service. There were no formal discussions scheduled.
Defence procurement
Asked about the Defence Secretary’s statement on defence procurement, the PMS said he would leave it for the Defence Secretary to give details in his statement. He would set out how private sector expertise and skills could be brought into the procurement process.
Universal Credit
Asked about Universal Credit (UC), the PMS said the government had a gradual plan for implementing the universal credit reforms, allowing the government to take on the findings and experiences of the pilots. The UC had cross party support. The PM thought the Work and Pensions Secretary was doing a very good job in taking forward welfare reforms and ensuring work paid.
Balance of competencies
Asked about the second round of the balance of competencies, the PMS said that it was expected in the coming weeks.