Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase the capacity of the Voluntary and Charitable Sector to (a) bid for and (b) operate as sub-contractors for her Department's contracts.

The Department’s commercial Employment Category team has a good track record in engaging a diverse supply chain, as demonstrated by the recent Work and Health Programme which secured the commitment of 21% SME spending and 51% SME and Voluntary sector spending during the procurement process.

I am also pleased to say that the Department’s commercial Employment Category team is working on a Future Market Strategy, which includes both a tier 2 supply chain strategy and a prime provider strategy. Commercial colleagues have started engaging the market, seeking comments and views on the future strategy.