Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on the meaning of local employment in the context of public infrastructure contracts.

I refer the hon Member to the National Procurement Policy Statement published by the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2025, which states that in carrying out a procurement covered by the Procurement Act 2023, a contracting authority must have regard to the importance of maximising public benefit. Applying social and economic value requirements in procurement can have a significantly positive impact by broadening the public benefits that are delivered through the life of the contract.