Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against her Department’s budget using a Government procurement card (a) in calendar year 2022 and (b) from 1 January to 30 September 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Procurement cards assist with the reduction in procurement bureaucracy, boost efficiency, support the government’s prompt payment initiative for small and medium businesses, and help maintain cash flow to suppliers.

Procurement cards are used as defined by the departmental procurement acquisition model, agreed by procurement and finance colleagues. Controls are in place that limit purchase types and values in line with individual departmental controls.

Procurement cards are held by departmental officials, not Ministers or Special Advisers.

The table below lists the number of purchases and the total cost of purchases for the calendar year 2022 and from 1 January to 30 September 2023: