A different section of the Department of Health and Social Care invoiced Age Concern for almost the same amount as it received in a subsidy from the department.

Under the present service operated by Age Concern, deliveries are made five days a week. The charity delivered about 66,000 meals last year. Customers are charged £3.50, £2.25 of which goes to the Government Catering Service, which supplies Age Concern.

The charity receives up to £82,000 a year in income from the meals it supplies, in addition to the subsidy of up to £159,000.

When asked, the DHSC declined to provide details of the charity’s fixed serviced costs, saying they were commercially sensitive.

We asked, given that the catering service is part of the DHSC, how much of the £159,000 subsidy paid to Age Concern the department got back via payments to GCS.

The department told us: ’Age Concern purchases meals from the Government Catering Service, with a main meal and dessert costing them £2.25 and a sandwich or jacket potato costing £1.25. Age Concern then charges customers £3.50 and £1.85 for this, respectively.

’The total cost of invoices for meals sent by GCS to Age Concern in the 2016/17 financial year was a little over £156,000.’