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Written question asked by Theresa Villiers (Conservative) on Monday, 9 January 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 11 January 2006. It was answered by Mike O'Brien (Labour) on Monday, 27 February 2006 on behalf of the Solicitor General.

Departmental Expenditure

Question
To ask the Solicitor-General how much was spent by the Law Offices on refreshments in each year since 1997.
Answer

The Crown Prosecution Service does not hold details centrally of how much it spends on refreshments and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain the information. The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office was not in being in 2004–05 being set up on 18 April 2005.The Serious Fraud Office, Treasury Solicitor's Department (including the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate incurred the expenditure on refreshments in the following table.

£
Financial year Serious Fraud Office Treasury Solicitor's Department HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
1997–98 7,881 — —
1998–99 6,261 3,237 —
1999–2000 6,703 4,200 —
2000–01 6,036 5,254 —
2001–02 10,439 5,985 1,597
2002–03 9,777 8,131 4,129
2003–04 9,644 8,310 3,261
2004–05 12,081 20,837 3,275
(13) Figures include expenditure by the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers.
(14) Information is no longer available for 1997–98 and could be recovered only at disproportionate cost.
(15) HMCPSI was established on 1 October 2000 and separately accounted for from 1 April 2001.
(16) TSol has explained this by the installation of coffee making machines for staff (£5,000) and changes in the role of the GLS Secretariat occasioning increased refreshment costs for GLS events.

The figures cover working breakfasts and lunches and refreshments at meetings in addition to official entertainment. All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in ““Government Accounting””.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
41251; 443 c58W;443 c57-8W
Session
2005-06
Subjects
Catering Expenditure Government departments Solicitor General
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk