Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s published data on government procurement card spend over £500 for September 2022, what was purchased from Arbikie Highland Estate on 20 September 2022; and for what purpose was that purchase used.

This was a dinner hosted by the Department for International Trade during an offshore wind study visit by Polish parliamentarians, Polish wind industry association, Polish media and embassy staff, UK officials and the Scottish Government Trade Envoy to Poland.

The aim was to further UK-Poland offshore wind collaboration and raise the profile of the UK offshore wind supply chain and UK developers bidding for new Polish offshore wind sites. Arbikie was chosen because of its proximity to the Montrose offshore wind facility, also because it allowed a guided demonstration of the first distillery to be powered by hydrogen and so complement presentations on UK hydrogen projects.