To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will define the present remit of the central unit on purchasing.

The central unit on purchasing has been subsumed by the public competition and purchasing unit (PCPU). PCPU's remit is to promote the programme of work set out in the White Paper "Competing for Quality" (Cm 1730), and to continue existing work on the Government purchasing initiative (GPI). This involves advising Departments on how to obtain value for money through the adoption of best purchasing and project management practice, working with Departments to develop professionalism and to create infrastructures to support their purchasing and supply activities, monitoring Departments' progress in implementing the GPI and reporting annually on departmental progress to the Prime Minister.