To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department and its agencies paid in travel agencies’ fees in each year since 1997. (139908)

DEFRA came into being in June 2001. From information held centrally, the amount (including VAT) paid by core DEFRA in travel agencies’ fees in each financial year commencing with 2001-02 is shown in the following table.

Expenditure on travel agencies’ fees by DEFRA’s Executive agencies is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.