Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2022 to Question 53317, on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, which stated that the payment of £2,360 to Finishing Touches on 15 November 2021 related to maintenance and replacement of furnishings and fittings at an official office in Gibraltar, and the Answer of 11 October 2022 to Question 53319, on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, which stated that the payment was subject to normal FCDO controls and in line with government procurement card policy, (a) for what reason that payment is instead listed in his Department's published transparency data under the merchant category ‘Barber and Beauty Shops’ with a location in Great Britain rather than the category and location provided in the Answer to Question 53317, and (b) what assessment he has made of the reason for this error occurring given that the payments were subject to normal FCDO controls.

The Merchant Category Codes (MCC) and location set out in the transparency data are determined by the credit card provider; in this case they do not match the transaction details. The merchant and their acquirer are responsible for assuring the MCC assigned. We have reported this anomaly to our card issuer, who should report it to the card acquirer. When these transactions are approved in FCDO systems, officials are not provided with the MCC but see the merchant's name, date, and the value, which were known to be correct. An incorrect MCC has no bearing on the validity of the transaction.