Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 115 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018, whether his Department applies the terms of the Social Value Act to (a) goods and (b) works to account for the social value of new procurement.
DCMS is continuing to work closely with the Cabinet Office to implement a package of measures for the future of social value and procurement. This was set out in the Civil Society Strategy and announced by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, David Lidington.
This includes a project to extend the application of the Social Value Act across central government departments from services to also include goods and works. Departments will be required to evaluate for social value benefits in the tender process too, providing they do not add complexity or cost to the procurement process, restrict markets or exclude small businesses from government contracts.