Departmental Official Hospitality

Mr. Philip Hammond
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) alcohol and (b) entertaining in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle
The Treasury and its agencies do not separately record amounts spent on alcohol within official entertainment or hospitality spending and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The amounts spent on official entertainment and hospitality in 2006-07 were as follows: HM Treasury (inc. OGC) £193,000; DMO £4,000; ONS £208,000; VOA £48,000; Royal Mint £323,000; GAD £4,000; NS and I £424,000; and OGCbuying.solutions £34,000. All spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in “Managing Public Money”.