Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 with an electronic purchasing card, for the accommodation of which individuals was £9,121.42 paid to Airbnb Payments on 20 September 2021; and what were the locations of that accommodation.

The Department spent £9,121.42 on an Airbnb private house rental for two weeks covering COP26 in Glasgow. This cost covered the accommodation for 4 members of the UK delegation and was needed due to lack of available hotel accommodation in Glasgow and surrounding areas over this period. Due to high demand the price of any available accommodation was higher than usual, and this rental was the most cost-effective option for the delegation.