Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) art, (b) wine and (c) hospitality in each of the last seven financial years for which figures are available.

There has been no Departmental expenditure on acquiring art items over the last seven years. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Art Collection has been disestablished and ownership of the most significant works have been transferred to other public institutions in order to ensure their continued protection and public display.

The amount spent on wine and hospitality is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The MOD has strict rules on hospitality, including the purchase of alcohol.