To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary value was of the subsidy paid by her Department in respect of food and drink on sale to staff of (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies at official premises in each of the last five years. (320502)

The Department provides an annual subsidy for various catering outlets that sell food and drink to staff. This subsidy allows outlets to remain viable and varies depending on a number of factors, such as location and canteen usage. There are currently 129 sites with catering outlets, housing around 39,000 staff.

The total value of the subsidy paid by the department for each of the five years is in the following table: