To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has a policy on ethical procurement by academy chains.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on sharing of core teams between multiple academies in multi-academy trusts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the transparency of the procurement processes used by academy chains.

All academy trusts, including chains, must follow the procurement requirements in the Academies Financial Handbook published by the Education Funding Agency. They must apply the principles of regularity, propriety and value for money, and ensure that transactions are even-handed so that conflicts of interest are managed. Within this framework, academy trusts are responsible for their own purchasing decisions including the achievement of appropriate ethical standards.

Within the framework set out in the Academies Financial Handbook, multi-academy trusts are free to establish and structure core teams that best suit their circumstances. We have a range of measures in place to ensure that transparency is strong in the academies sector. Academy trusts must have a competitive tendering policy and comply with requirements for public procurement. Unlike local authority maintained schools, when buying from related parties academy trusts must do so at no more than ‘cost’. They must also publish details of relevant business and pecuniary interests on their website.

Academy trusts must also comply with the Public Contracts Regulations which are based on the principles of transparency, non-discrimination and equal treatment.