Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to monitor adherence to changes made to steel procurement guidelines in the last two years by (a) local authorities and (b) central Government Departments; and what assessment he has made of the ability of (i) local authorities and (ii) central Government Departments to adhere to those procurement guidelines.

Last December, the Government issued updated guidance on how to ensure that they take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers when conducting their procurement activities; and extended this guidance to the wider public sector.

Since publication of the guidance, we have been working closely with central government departments to monitor the impact and effectiveness of the guidance.