Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the partnership with Google to train civil servants and provide free technology to public sector organisations, announced on 9 July, on the shape and nature of competition in the UK cloud market.

The Government views the recent partnership with Google as a strategic step in strengthening civil service digital skills and modernising public services. While this partnership is at an early stage, introducing Google as a major supplier supports diversification and competition in line with the Cloud First Policy, while strengthening public sector buying power to secure better value and innovation.