Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Departmental expenditure on Hospitality from the start of the 2010 financial year up to 31^st October 2014, the latest date for which information is available, is shown in the graph attached. Expenditure on catering is not specifically identified but expenditure on Working Lunches and Refreshments is held and this information is also included in the graph.

Expenditure should be seen in the context of the number of staff employed by the Department, Currently 79,514 (as at 31 October 2014), which works out at a cost per head of £1.45 per year.