Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether a supplier that has been debarred from rendering procurement services in a foreign jurisdiction is automatically debarred from UK public procurement; and what criteria are used to assess whether a foreign debarment should be recognised in the UK.

The Procurement Act, which comes into force on 24 February 2025, will allow the Government to investigate high-risk suppliers on behalf of the entire public sector.

International debarment lists can be considered as part of a debarment investigation that determines whether an exclusion ground applies and enables a Minister of the Crown to decide whether the supplier should be placed on the debarment list.

A live debarment investigation does not prevent a supplier from bidding for public contracts or provide a basis for any further regulatory or legal action against the supplier.