Official entertainment is typically offered where we host foreign Defence Ministers, armed forces representatives and civilian officials in the UK to use our influence to prevent conflict, pursue UK security policy interests and enhance professional contacts. Commanding officers may include entertainment in events for members of their unit to enhance and develop cohesiveness and team spirit. We may also include entertainment to further wider public understanding of defence, for example during an official parliamentary visit to a military unit or where we are launching a major defence initiative. Entertainment, which must be modest, usually takes the form of light refreshments, lunches, dinners or, more rarely, receptions.
We have reported the costs of entertainment in our annual report.
These figures include expenditure by the defence agencies, but not by the MOD's trading funds and Executive non-departmental public bodies, which lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary.
Copies of our annual report and accounts are available in the Library of the House and online under the MOD's Freedom of Information Publication Scheme at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/AnnualReports/