Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is his Department's policy that government procurement cards should not be used for purchases (a) of alcohol and (b) that could be made via an alternative compliant purchasing route.

The Pan-government procurement card policy does not itself prohibit the purchase of alcohol using a procurement card; however it does state that procurement cards must never be used to make purchases contrary to departments’ strategies and purchasing policies.

Guidance is provided to departments on the consumption of alcohol in the workplace and departments must ensure that they have policies in place to implement this.