Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Catering
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of (a) tableware and (b) crockery used in her Department was made by a British manufacturer.
Answered by Ian Murray
The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and ensuring they have the best chance to win public contracts.
The new Procurement Act creates a simpler and more transparent system that will support British businesses bidding for work.
The Act also allows contracting authorities to set standards that recognise the quality and standard of UK businesses and products.
Alongside this, the National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider this government’s Industrial strategy and the sectors vital to our economic growth.
DCMS does not own its offices, and therefore decisions regarding formal crockery and tableware are largely made by the property management companies.
However, to supplement this, the department did purchase some crockery in early 2024, before the Procurement Act came into place, that were procured through a British company but manufactured in China.
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