HC Deb 30 April 2004 vol 420 cc1364-5W
Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her latest estimate is of the amount spent by her Department on official entertainment in each year from 1996–97 to 2004–05. [168998]

Ms Hewitt

The following table shows the expenditure on entertainment by the Department of Trade and Industry in each year between 1999–2000 and 2003–04.

£000
1999–2000 887
2000–01 1,089
2001–02 1,165
2002–03 1,311
2003–04 1,110
Notes
1. The expenditure represents less than 0.016 per cent. of the Department's total gross expenditure.

2. The Department expects expenditure for 2004–05 to be of a similar order.
3. Figures for earlier periods are not available on a consistent basis.