To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years. (273890)

Expenditure by the Department for Transport on hospitality and entertainment in the most recent three years is as follows:

Due to a major restructuring of accounting records, expenditure in years prior to 2006-07 cannot be provided on a comparable basis without incurring disproportionate costs.

The Department adheres to the principles on the management of public money as set out in HM Treasury’s handbook on Regularity and Propriety and has strict rules and cost limits on such expenditure, which in the main consists of refreshments at meetings with external stakeholders.