To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor has spent on (a) conference services and (b) banqueting services in each of the last five years. (274501)

Expenditure on conference services by the Ministry of Justice, comprising headquarters and Executive agencies (the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Her Majesty’s Courts Service, the Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian), since its inception is as follows:

The amounts above exclude expenditure by the 42 local probation boards and trusts within NOMS as this information is held locally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry’s predecessor Department, the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), incurred the following expenditure on conference services:

The DCA was a smaller department which did not include the National Offender Management Service or the Office for Criminal Justice Reform which were part of the Home Office prior to 2007-08.

The growth in expenditure on conferences reflects the increasingly cross-cutting nature of government policy. Conferences represent an effective mechanism for bringing together stakeholders in the government, private and voluntary sectors to promote a joined up approach to the delivery of front line services.

Bookings for conferences and related expenditure must be made through designated contractors employed by the Ministry of Justice to identify venues and accommodation that offers best value for money.

The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Constitutional Affairs have no record of any expenditure on banqueting services in the last five years.