Figures released by the Treasury of the department’s own monthly spending show that property costs, air travel and IT charges make up the bulk of the costs it is required to make public under the government’s commitment to greater transparency
According to the August list detailing purchases over £25,000, the Treasury’s biggest outlay was almost £1.9m for ‘contingent rent on Horseguards PFI’, along with some £31,000 in facilities services charges.
The department spent £778,000 on IT hardware services and maintenance supplied by Fujitsu Services and close to £500,000 on telephones, telecom services and maintenance with Global Crossing.
Metal costs for the Royal Mint also totalled around £500,000, and in addition the Treasury paid £45,000 for interim and contract staff during the month
The July breakdown of the Treasury’s procurement card spending data over £500 shows that air travel was a major item that month. Some £50,000 of spending is recorded against a number of suppliers, including British Airways, Virgin and Air China.
The Treasury also spent around £4,000 via Paypal for the purchase of office equipment and a similar amount via Dabs, along with some £3,000 on stationery and books.
July also saw significant spending on staff development, with around £20,000 spent with a variety of training providers, including £949 for a team building away day and £1,900 for a training event in the Cabinet war rooms.
In a bid to keep abreast of developments, the Treasury also spent £3,619 on newspapers over the month and £2,327 to a specialist provider of press summaries.
