Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions in the past year they have placed contracts for goods or services with suppliers in countries in which British companies are not allowed to tender for similar purposes.

The requested information is not held centrally. UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project, through fair and open competition and in line with our current international obligations.