§ Mr. Russell BrownTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to encourage the procurement of British beef for(a) those serving in the Armed Forces, (b) hospital patients and (c) children taking school meals. [21923]
491W
§ Mr. RookerGovernment Departments and Local Authorities are generally required to look for the best value for money in their procurement decisions, and we would contravene the Treaty of Rome by operating a "Buy British" Policy.
In addition, the Department is neither well placed nor sufficiently resourced to lobby the Local Authorities directly about the procurement of beef.