Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card, what the (a) purpose of, (b) location of and (c) guest list was for the events for which Zafferano Catering was paid (i) £4,726.84 on 6 April 2022 and (ii) £2,567.64 on 14 July 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The sums referred to relate to a range of events held at Lancaster House, hosted by Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon as FCDO Minister of State. These included:
(i) a luncheon with Caribbean High Commissioners on the 14th March and a reception for key representatives of the US on 16th March.
(ii) The Civil Service Operational Delivery Awards jointly hosted by the Cabinet Office and HMRC on 24th May
All expenses undergo rigorous oversight to ensure they are reasonable and adhere to FCDO spending regulations. We are not releasing the guest lists for these events given these contain personal data of third parties and release would therefore be contrary to our obligations under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card, what the (a) purpose of, (b) location of and (c) guest list was for the events for which Ann Kristin Catering was paid (i) 1,347.25 on 27 September 2021 and (ii) £1,154.69 on 3 December 2021.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This relates to two events used to promote relations with Portugal and Portuguese business stakeholders operating in the UK. These included:
(i) UK-Portugal Parliamentary Friendship Group Lunch with Minister Wendy Morton MP and a British Embassy Lisbon led event on 27th September 2021
(ii) a Lord Mayor's Lunch with Portuguese business community.
All expenses undergo rigorous oversight to ensure they are reasonable and adhere to FCDO spending regulations. We are not releasing the guest lists for these events given these contain personal data of third parties and release would therefore be contrary to our obligations under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card in February 2022, what services were purchased by his Department from Scriberia Ltd on 23 February 2022, and for what purpose.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The cost was for commissioning a specialist design and communication agency that offered expertise that were not available in house, to support a major engagement initiative at short notice. All expenses undergo rigorous oversight to ensure they are reasonable and adhere to FCDO spending regulations.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card in June 2022, what the (a) purpose of, (b) location of and (c) guest list was for the event for which Camm and Hooper were paid £53,445.36 on 27 June 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This was the largest UK-Mozambique event hosted to date and was attended by a range of key stakeholders from the UK and Mozambique business community. The event promoted the UK as a key business market. Expenditure was subject to normal FCDO controls and an appropriate use of public money.
We are not releasing the guest lists for these events given these contain personal data of third parties and release would therefore be contrary to our obligations under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500, what items were purchased from (a) KTLondon.com on 21 August 2021, (b) Highball on 14 September 2021 and (c) Shake Swirl on 7 June 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Highball payment was for English wine. There is an expectation that UK diplomatic missions procure and serve British wine whenever possible for official entertainment to boost exports, support and promote UK business overseas and project soft power.
The payment to Shake Swirl was for service and kitchen support staff for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee event at the High Commissioner's Residence in Singapore, for 600 people, including key government, commercial and diplomatic contacts.
The expenditure with KTLondon.com was for the provision of meal items for approximately 250 working on multiple shifts of the UK end response of Operation Pitting, the humanitarian evacuation from Afghanistan, in the FCDO's Crisis Centre. Expenditure for all 3 was subject to normal FCDO controls.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for February 2022, what services were purchased from (a) Bolsons Ltd on 16 February 2022 and (b) Boss Media between 18 and 22 February 2022; and for what purposes those services were required.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The payment to Bolsons was for stationery and equipment at the British High Commission in Kingston. The Boss Media spend was part of a project to improve the data processing and user experience of the Export to Japan platform, which has over 10,000 registered members and helps provide information on the Japanese market to UK businesses. Expenditure was subject to normal controls.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card in January 2021, what items were purchased from Anthropologie on 1 and 4 January 2021; and for what purpose those items were purchased by his Department.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
These relate to furniture purchases for the unfurnished residence of a staff member in a newly created diplomatic role in our Consulate in Houston. Expenditure was subject to normal FCDO controls and an appropriate use of public money.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for June 2022, what the (a) purpose of, (b) location of and (c) guest list was for the event for which Seasoned Events Catering were paid £5,401.20 between 10 and 14 June 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This relates to venue and catering costs for an Indian trade mission to the UK during London Tech Week 2022. This was organised by the Department of International Trade to boost engagement between UK start-ups and top India tech companies who were in attendance. Expenditure was subject to normal controls.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card, what the (a) purpose of, (b) location of and (c) guest list was for the events for which At Home Catering was paid (i) £2,848.20 on 5 May 2021, (ii) £2,408.04 on 4 November 2021, (iii) £12,687.96 from 18-29 March 2022, (iv) £4,422.24 on 26 July 2022 and (v) £8,138.32 from 11-25 October 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
These relate to a range of events held at 10 Downing Street, 1 Carlton Gardens, Lancaster House and Admiralty House, including events hosted by the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary for international delegations. The exchange of hospitality has long been an important part of building relations and diplomacy.
The payment dates refer to the dates the caterers were paid, and are not the dates events took place on.
All events took place in-line with HMT guidelines and fully complied with any COVID regulations and social distancing guidance that may have been in place at the time. Expenditure was subject to normal FCDO controls and an appropriate use of public money.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for March 2021, what services were purchased from Paul Martin on 8 March 2021; and for what purpose were they required.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This was for the Master of Ceremonies for the Department for International Trade annual Trade and Investment Awards ceremony in Spain. The award show promoted commercial relationships between the UK and Spain, promoted UK exports to Spanish audiences and showcased the UK as an investment destination. Attendees included Spanish business leaders, the former Investment Minister Lord Grimstone and the Spanish Minister for Trade, Xiana Méndez. Expenditure was subject to normal controls.