§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his latest estimate is of the amount spent by his Department on official entertainment in each year from 1996–97 to 2004–05. [168997]
§ Hilary BennThe following table shows recorded expenditure by DFID on entertainment for the years in question, to the nearest £000.
£ 1996–97 10,000 1997–98 24,000 1998–99 43,000 1999–2000 62,000 2000–01 48,000 2001–02 55,000 2002–03 82,000 In 2003–04 DFID introduced a new method of assessing administration costs, which had previously been recorded on programme budgets. This included entertainment expenditure previously incurred by overseas offices. The provisional figure for 2003–04 was £246,000 and the projected figure for 2004–05 is £261,000. These changes have increased transparency and will enable DFID to manage administrative costs more effectively, but they mean that the 2003–04 figures and 2004–05 projections are not comparable with earlier years.
The upward trend in entertainment expenditure reflects DFID's increased focus on wider development issues, and the expansion in its representation overseas; with increased devolution to a growing number of country offices.
All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.