Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2022 to Question 106393 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, how many purchases with a value less than £500 were made against his Department’s budget through a Government procurement card in 2021.

The FCDO made 120,431 purchases in 2021 on goods and services with a transaction value less than £500 using Government Procurement Cards. Government Procurement Cards provide an efficient route to enable key staff to procure goods and services, necessary to the promotion of British interests overseas and the maintenance of our Embassies and High Commissions. All purchases are subject to authorisation by managers and audit checks. Local budgets are scrutinised for waste, and fraud is monitored by our audit teams to ensure best value to the tax payer.