§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on the procurement of food that is(a) local and (b) British. [99366]
§ Mr. LammyThe Department, including its agencies, does not procure food directly but uses tendered catering services.
The Department's policy with all procurements is to obtain value for money through competitive tendering ensuring fair and open competition. Existing procedures already allow consideration of a wide range of criteria in 1197W the evaluation of tenders within the framework of the Government's value for money policies and the European Community procurement rules.
It is the policy of our main catering contractor to endeavour to purchase from United Kingdom sources when practicable.