§ Michael FabricantTo ask the Leader of the House what percentage of the(a) crockery, (b) cutlery and (c) glassware procured by his Office over the last five years is of British manufacture. [170804]
§ Mr. WoolasThe Office of the Leader of the House of Commons was established in June 2003. Since then only a small amount of crockery and glassware has been purchased, and no cutlery. All the crockery was of British manufacture.
In line with current Government policy the decision to purchase goods for the Office is taken on value for money grounds: restricting purchases to British-only goods would not necessarily achieve this.
As a trading nation the UK has commitments under both EC and WTO procurement rules to ensure our access to export markets, and a 'Buy-British' policy would make UK companies less competitive by closing down likely export markets. One of the five principles underlying the EC Treaty is one of non-discrimination on the grounds of nationality and this would also exclude a 'Buy-British' policy. In these days of global markets it is increasingly difficult to determine whether goods are British.