Oral Answers to Questions

Kerry McCarthy Excerpts

Thursday 24th February 2022 Commons Chamber

[Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab)]

5. What steps he is taking to facilitate open and transparent public procurement.

[Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)]

8. What steps he is taking to facilitate open and transparent public procurement.

[Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon) (Con)]

14. What steps he is taking to ensure that underperforming Government contractors may not apply for further Government contracts.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

One of the opportunities of Brexit is that we will be able to encourage people to buy more from SMEs, which tend to be UK-based rather than from overseas. Opening up procurement has the effect of ensuring that more British companies get contracts, and that is a good thing to be doing, but there is always a balance to be struck between ensuring that one buys cheaply and efficiently and supporting British companies. I believe that British companies can out-compete, and be as efficient as, anyone in the world, and that that is how procurement ought to operate.

[Kerry McCarthy]

The Government spend £2 billion every year on food for schools, hospitals, prisons and so on. When they eventually respond to the national food strategy, will they accept its recommendations on reforming procurement rules so that food purchased with taxpayers’ money is always healthy and sustainable—and will the Minister confirm that foie gras will not be on the menu?

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

I do not think we need to go into my personal dietary habits. I have mainly been giving free publicity to Cadbury Creme Eggs over the years, rather than going into the details of whether or not I like foie gras—although people may be able to guess what the answer is.

As for the strategy for procurement of food, one of the things it will do is allow social benefit to be taken into account. It will not just be about value for money, although value for money is inevitably fundamental to all procurement, so it will be possible for people to make decisions on a broader range of issues.