(2) how many Christmas parties his Department plans to host in 2009; what has been budgeted for each such reception; what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) lamb, (b) beef, (c) chicken, (d) pork, (e) turkey, (f) other meats, (g) vegetables, (h) fruit and (i) alcohol to be served at each such function which is produced in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
The proportion of domestically produced food procured by the Department has gone up from 58.5 per cent. in 2006-07 to 74 per cent. in 2007-08. Figures for 2008-09 are not currently available.
Quadrant Catering provides the staff restaurant and hospitality catering at the Department of Health sites in London and Eurest Services provides the same services to the Department of Work and Pensions, which includes the Quarry House site in Leeds where some Health employees are based. Both Quadrant Catering and Eurest Services are part of Compass Group UK and Ireland, one of the United Kingdom's largest contract caterers.
Specific information about British products used within the Department of Health and Department of Work and Pensions contracts is listed as follows. This information was made publicly available in late 2008 and there will be another report produced towards the end of 2009.
Percentage Bakery—e.g. bread loaves and rolls (i.e. origin of ingredients used and not where baked) 100 Dairy Whole eggs (i.e. in shells) 100 Fresh milk (e.g. whole, semi-skimmed, skimmed) 100 Cheese 85 Vegetables, salads and fruit Ware potatoes—whole, unprepared 95 Processed potatoes—for prepared both whole and cut 95 Roots and onions—e.g. carrots, parsnips, onions, turnips and Swedes 95 Brassicas—e.g. brussel sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower 64 Legumes—e.g. beans (broad), beans (runner and dwarf), peas (green for market), peas (green for processing), peas (harvested dry) 50 Protected vegetables—e.g. tomatoes (round, vine, plum and cherry), tomatoes (cold), cucumbers, lettuce, celery, sweet peppers 25 Other vegetables—e.g. asparagus, celery, leeks, lettuce, watercress 51 Orchard fruit—e.g. dessert apples, culinary apples, pears, plums 51 Soft fruit—e.g. strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants 41 Meat and poultry Poultry meat 100 Beef and veal 85 Mutton and lamb 60 Bacon 0 Pork 85 Fish 40 Overall percentage indigenous food 74 Overall percentage indigenous food by value if available 75
All expenditure by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the “Civil Service Management Code” and in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. The Department does not fund internal Christmas parties for officials, and staff are expected to fund these parties themselves. The Department does not collect information about the Christmas functions hosted or attended by officials in the Department and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.