Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government Procurement Card data for November 2020, last updated on 25th November 2021, what items of office equipment were purchased from (a) Alexanders Appliances Direct Ltd for £645.60 on 12th November 2020, and (b) Currys Online for £1,258 on 26th November 2020.

Transaction (a) relates to the replacement of official catering equipment and was purchased on the 07/07/2020. The equipment was procured to replace a previous equipment that was over 10 years old and which originally had been purchased under the last Labour Government. It had reached the end of its working life.

Transaction (b) relates to a high-specification shredder and was purchased on the 30/09/2020. The shredder was procured for a high-security business unit whose work necessitates specific secure shredding equipment. Again, this was a replacement for a previous device.

Transactions purchased via a Government Procurement Card must be reconciled and approved by a line manager before being recorded fully on the Department’s General Ledger. This means some transactions can appear after the purchase date.