Will the Minister make a statement on the decision of some local authorities to end the procurement of goods from occupied territories, and state whether the Welsh Government has provided any guidance to local authorities contemplating similar decisions?
The Welsh Government commends the actions of those local authorities which have passed motions to end the procurement of goods from occupied territories.
The Welsh Government operates within the framework set by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) which are underpinned by the principles of fairness, transparency and non-discrimination. Any policy to end the procurement of goods from businesses solely on the basis that they operate, or source, from within the occupied territories would not be compliant with the grounds for exclusion in the PCR 2015. As a result, the Welsh Government has not issued any guidance to local authorities contemplating similar decisions.