Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to chapter 1 paragraph 108 of the White Paper, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Cm9593, whether the retention of a common rulebook on state aid will prevent the UK public sector adopting procurement rules that give preferential treatment to UK-manufactured vehicles.

State aid and public procurement are separate issues. The state aid rules only touch on state support which has not been given on commercial terms. On the other hand, public procurement should be an entirely commercial process.

The UK will remain committed to the principles of non-discrimination, equal treatment and transparency, as provided for in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and the Global Declaration Against Corruption.

The Government has a longstanding policy of value for money, through fair and open competition, in public procurement. In line with our current international (not just EU) obligations, our contracting authorities are required to treat suppliers from various other countries on an equal footing with UK suppliers.

This is a two-way street as it gives our suppliers access to public procurement markets overseas. This allows us to maximise value for money for the UK taxpayer, whilst ensuring that UK companies are able to compete abroad.