Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department plans to take to enable the government to break with outsourced government contracts in the case where the desired outcomes are not delivered.

The National Procurement Policy Statement will set out the Government’s policy priorities, and contracting authorities will have to have regard to it when carrying out procurements. The Policy Statement will consult on introducing a new public interest test to assess whether work should be outsourced or if it could be done more effectively and drive better value for money in-house.

We have begun to assess the areas of Government that could be done more effectively in house, and where there may be compelling reasons for Government to develop their own capabilities and capacity to deliver good value for money and better public services.