Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the level of corporate debt in companies providing essential public services through outsourcing, and (2) any risks such outsourcing presents to the continuation of public services.

The private sector has a vital role to play in delivering good value, innovative, and high quality public services. We continue to regularly monitor the financial health of suppliers, including all of our strategic suppliers. Throughout these unprecedented times, suppliers have worked with Government to protect the delivery of vital public services and aid the response to the pandemic.

The Outsourcing Playbook, which was updated in June 2020, includes 11 key policy reforms which help government and industry work better together to deliver quality public services.