Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) her core Department and (b) executive agencies of her Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The table below provides a breakdown of the Electronic Purchasing Card Solution (ePCS) cards that were held by staff within the department, its arms-length bodies and executive agencies as of 31 December 2022 and 31 December 2023.

ePCS cards assist with the reduction in procurement bureaucracy, boost efficiency, support the government’s Prompt Payment initiative for small-and-medium sized enterprises, and help maintain cash flow to suppliers.

The department has a clear policy for card allocation which involves confirmation from budget holders to approve the issuing, and use of cards to staff within their delegated budget areas.

The department has robust controls in place that limit purchase types and values and these are regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure acceptable card usage in line with the Pan-Government policy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/payment-cards-pan-government-policy.