Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the legislative competence of Welsh Government to issue procurement advice notes regarding foreign countries.
Procurement undertaken by devolved Welsh authorities is a devolved matter and it is therefore the responsibility of the Welsh Government to provide procurement advice in respect of these authorities. In doing so it should ensure compliance with domestic law and should not erect barriers to trade by excluding some of the world’s largest companies from bidding for contracts with devolved bodies in Wales.
I have not discussed the implementation of the Procurement Advice Note on public bodies with Welsh Government.