Whitehall faces tighter limit on card spending

A one-off Cabinet Office investigation found 99 cases of “inappropriate use” of the cards in Whitehall over the past three years, according to the Public Accounts Committee.

MPs found rules over use varied significantly between departments and highlighted the Department for Work and Pensions, which “doesn’t even have receipts for a third of its transactions”.

The committee called for a clampdown on who can use the Government Procurement Cards and for what. It recommended there should be fewer bookings made for five star hotels and a ban on alcohol purchases.

Previously released details of spending on the 24,000 procurement cards showed they had been used to buy doughnuts and shop at iTunes, as well as for air tickets and luxury hotels.