Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to support public sector catering suppliers who are fulfilling their public sector contracts but servicing at a loss as a result of food inflation.

Government departments manage their relationships with third-party suppliers in line the Sourcing Playbook, which sets out the core principles to successful outsourcing; achieving value for money and successful service delivery. Decisions on outsourcing are made according to Treasury guidance and the Sourcing Playbook, which focuses on setting our projects up for success, right from the start. The Government’s Contract Management Principles make clear that there should be flexible approaches to dealing with change through joint working with suppliers and that costs should be controlled with strong change control mechanisms.

As the Prime Minister has set out, one of the five immediate priorities for the government is to halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security.