To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Marine and Fisheries Agency spent on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years. (276367)

The Marine and Fisheries Agency (formerly the Marine Fisheries Agency) was formed in October 2005.

The Agency may, with the prior approval of the chief executive and in accordance with DEFRA departmental policies, incur expenditure on hospitality in furtherance of its business including, for example, working lunches, dinners and similar meetings with external stakeholders and representatives of other countries’ marine and fishery authorities.

Since its inception, the Agency has spent the following sums on hospitality:

Information for 2005-06 relates to activities of the Agency from its inception on 1 October 2005. Data relating to previous periods are not readily separable from that of DEFRA.

The Agency holds no budget for entertainment, and has incurred no expenditure on entertainment.