Written questions by Thornberry.

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) HM Treasury and (b) HMRC at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Procurement cards assist with the reduction in procurement bureaucracy, boost efficiency and support the Government’s prompt payment initiative for Small and Medium businesses. Controls are in place that limit purchase types and values in line with individual departmental controls. The number of procurement cards held by HM Treasury staff were(i) 68 at the end of 2022(ii) 68 at the end of 2023 The number of procurement cards held by HMRC Staff were(i) 161 at the end of 2022(ii) 159 at the end of 2023.

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and its predecessor departments and (b) executive agencies of those departments at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was created in February 2023, so no information is held for periods prior to that date. However, even though DESNZ was set up in February 2023, the spilt across GPC cards was not done at that point and was much later, all data prior to 2024 was recorded as BEIS, so we hold no DESNZ data for 2023.

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and its predecessor departments and (b) executive agencies of those departments at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

UKSBS have confirmed the following numbers of government procurement cards were held by the Department for Business and Trade/Department for International Trade: DepartmentYearGPC Cards heldDepartment for Business and Trade/Department for International Trade2023211Department for International Trade2022171 UKSBS have confirmed that totals for executive agencies are not held.

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies of his Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The number of cards held across the Ministry of Defence and DSTL (executive agency) at the end of calendar years 2022 and 2023 were as follows: End of Calendar YearCore DepartmentExecutive Agencies20228,85328120238,542302

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies of his Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

In relation to the number of Government procurement cards held by staff within the core Department, I refer the Hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury to the answer given on 18 January 2024 to Question PQ8714.In addition, the following table shows the number of cards held by the Department’s two executive agencies, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), in 2022 and 2023:Executive agency20222023UKHSA12080MHRA194182

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) her core Department and (b) executive agencies of her Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

a.) We do not hold this data historically, as the system (Smart Data Online SDOL) that we use to record ePCS management information will only give us a list of active cardholders' data as of today's date; we do not have the capability to look back as of the time required. b.) After confirming the numbers for executive agencies bodies, the numbers of active cardholders were: Health and Safety Executive:2022 – 472023 – 38 Office for Nuclear Regulation:2022 – 82023 – 11

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) her core Department and (b) executive agencies of her Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The number of Government Procurement Cards allocated to individuals for making purchases against (a) the core Department's budget was:(i) As of December 31, 2022: 325(ii) As of December 31, 2023: 324 The number of Government Procurement Cards allocated to individuals for making purchases against (b) the executive agencies’ budgets was:(i) As of December 31, 2022: 304(ii) As of December 31, 2023: 280 The Department for Transport has a clear policy for card allocation. Applications for cards must be accompanied by confirmation that budget holders approve the issue of the card within their delegated budget areas. The application confirms the Merchant Category Codes the individual is authorised to use and proposed card transaction limit and monthly limit. Card applications must include a signature to confirm that the cardholder has read and accepted departmental policies and the consequences of misuse.

Media and Sport, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) her core Department and (b) executive agencies of her Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Core Department:A total of 23 DCMS core civil servants held government procurement cards at the end of the 2022 calendar year. A total of 15 DCMS core civil servants held government procurement cards at the end of the 2023 calendar year. This enabled them to make purchases against the Department’s budget, subject to internal policy and approval. Executive Agencies:DCMS does not hold executive agency GPC data.

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) her core Department and (b) executive agencies of her Department, at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The volumes of government procurement cards held by core Home Office and executive agencies (ALBs) on 31 December 2022 and 31 December 2023 are:2022HO 1061ALB 34 2023HO 1052ALB 36

Food and Rural Affairs, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies of his Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The table below sets out the number of cardholders at the end of each calendar year, by organisation. 20222023Core Department235292Animal and Plant Health Agency6463Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science266357Rural Payments Agency1111Veterinary Medicines Directorate1514

Innovation and Technology, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and its predecessor departments and (b) executive agencies of those departments at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) only hold records for the core department and does not hold the requested information for 2022, as DSIT was established in February 2023. The DSIT cardholders at the end of 2023 calendar year total 35.

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies of his Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The Cabinet Office has a clear policy for new government procurement card applications which must be accompanied by confirmation a budget holder within the relevant business unit approves the issue of the card. Initial use of the card is restricted to certain categories of spend alongside a single transaction limit and monthly spend limit. These restrictions can only be lifted by completing a business case. All new card applications must include a signature to confirm that the cardholder has read and accepted departmental policies and the consequences of misuse. The Cabinet Office had 298 and 320 government procurement cardholders at the end of 2022 and 2023 respectively. The Government Property Agency had 5 and 8 government procurement cardholders at the end of 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies of his Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

We are unable to provide data as at the end of the calendar years requested, but in mid-January 2023 and 2024 respectively: Core Department Government Procurement Cards (GPCs) held = i) 4,590 ii) 5,472Executive Agencies of department GPCs held = i) nil ii) nil Government Procurement Cards provide an efficient route to enable key staff to procure goods and services, necessary to the promotion of British interests overseas and the maintenance of our embassies and high commissions. All purchases are subject to authorisation by managers and audit checks.

How many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) her core Department and (b) executive agencies of her Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The table below provides a breakdown of the Electronic Purchasing Card Solution (ePCS) cards that were held by staff within the department, its arms-length bodies and executive agencies as of 31 December 2022 and 31 December 2023. 31 December 202231 December 2023Department for Education (DfE) – Core Department5884Arms-Length Bodies (including Executive Agencies).1917Total77101 ePCS cards assist with the reduction in procurement bureaucracy, boost efficiency, support the government’s Prompt Payment initiative for small-and-medium sized enterprises, and help maintain cash flow to suppliers. The department has a clear policy for card allocation which involves confirmation from budget holders to approve the issuing, and use of cards to staff within their delegated budget areas. The department has robust controls in place that limit purchase types and values and these are regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure acceptable card usage in line with the Pan-Government policy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/payment-cards-pan-government-policy.

Communities and Local Government, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) her core Department and (b) executive agencies of her Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

As of 31 December 2022, 18 government procurement cards were held by staff within the core Department; 27 by staff at the Planning Inspectorate; 6 at the QEII Centre.As of 31 December 2023, 25 government procurement cards were held by staff within the core Department; 28 by staff at the Planning Inspectorate; 6 at the QEII Centre.

How much his Department spent on government procurement card purchases (a) above and (b) below £500 net of refunded payments in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The guiding policy setting out the requirement to publish GPC transactions over £500 remains in place. Guidance is available to all government departments on gov.uk at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e8b402686650c18ce2cb541/Procurement_Cards_-_Pan_Government_Policy_V4_06042020.pdfIn support of the Government’s Transparency agenda, the Cabinet Office publishes GPC spend data over £500 on gov.uk. Details of Cabinet Office spend on government procurement card purchases over £500 can be found in the table below. Details of spend under £500 is not published.Financial YearTotal spend on purchases over £5002022/23£1,210,718.392023/24£1,054,654.09

How much his Department spent on government procurement card purchases (a) above and (b) below £500 net of refunded payments in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

The Department publishes procurement card transactions of a value greater than £500, with further information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dh-spending-over-500The following table shows the total spend, net of refunds, for transactions lower than £500, for 2022 and 2023: 20222023Net total payments£156,905.67£162,203.92

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on government procurement card purchases (a) above and (b) below £500 net of refunded payments in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Government Procurement Cards provide an efficient route to enable key staff to procure goods and services, necessary to the promotion of British interests overseas and the maintenance of our embassies and high commissions. All purchases are subject to authorisation by managers and audit checks.The FCDO publishes £500+ spend on gov.uk, and the monthly breakdown can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fcdo-spending-over-500.With regards to sub-£500 spend, the total for 2022 is £13,434,713, and for 2023 is £15,106,232. To note, the total value of refunds in the period has been deducted from the total value of purchases in the period in the data presented; some refunds may relate to purchases in the previous period.

How much his Department spent on government procurement card purchases (a) above and (b) below £500 net of refunded payments in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Departmental spend on Government procurement card (GPC) purchase above £500 net of refunded payments is published here in line with Government policy: MOD: spending over £500 on a GPC for January to December 2022 - GOV.UK MOD: spending over £500 on a GPC for January to December 2023 - GOV.UK The total spend for those purchases below £500 and net of refunded payments is set out below: Between January and December 2022: £14,409,930.39Between January and December 2023: £19,274,574.11

Innovation and Technology, how much his Department spent on government procurement card purchases (a) above and (b) below £500 net of refunded payments in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Department for Science Innovation and Technology does not hold the requested information for 2022 as DSIT was established in February 2023. The total department spent on government procurement card purchases between February 2023 to December 2023 are outlined below:a) Above £500 - total £114,646b) Below £500 - total £78,502