Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

The net amount spent on hospitality and catering with the contracted caterer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK during the period May 2010 to November 2014 is £818,259. The equivalent figure for spend with the contracted caterer for the period 2005-2010 is £1,599,274.

The FCO provides hospitality for a wide range of Government events to support the UK's national interests, promote British business and attract foreign investment. All spending is rigorously scrutinised to ensure that it represents good value for money for British taxpayers.

Expenditure by overseas posts is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.