To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the standard terms and conditions of purchase used by her Department in procurement of goods and services from the private sector prohibits the assignment of debt. (172317)

The Home Department uses a range of different terms and conditions for purchasing goods and services depending on their complexity and value. Generally these do not contain an express provision prohibiting the assignment of debts by the contractor. This reflects the position that, as the purchaser, it is the Home Department making payments rather than the contractor. Home Department contracts normally contain a provision prohibiting the assignment of any part of the contract without obtaining the consent of the Department.