Travel
(asked on 24th November 2014) - View Source
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what amount his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) the Government Car and Despatch Agency and (b) other car hire in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.
Under this Government, the DCLG Group is making a 41 per cent real terms saving against its running costs by 2014-15. This equates at least £532 million of taxpayers’ money in administrative savings.
As part of these savings, my Department has made substantial reductions to the cost of Ministerial cars. Instead of the six cars previously used, the Department now maintains only two cars between six Ministers.
There is a business case for some provision. The Government Car Service provides secure transport for Ministers carrying sensitive and confidential government documents. All travel arrangements are carried out in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Notwithstanding, our reforms have cut the cost by two-thirds, as shown in the table below.
Financial Year | Government Car Service |
2007-08 | £401,600 |
2008-09 | £418,300 |
2009-10 | £488,276 |
2010-11 | £321,592 |
2011-12 | £202,819 |
2012-13 | £199,191 |
2013-14 | £191,813 |
Note: Based on DfT methodology for Government Car Service spending, as published and presented to Parliament. Figures exclude VAT which is recoverable.
Additional spending on other hired car services in 2009-10 totalled £28,266, including chauffeurs and limousines (comprehensive figures are not held prior to this). By contrast, spending by 2013-14 has been just cut to just £124.
To provide some comparative figures, the table below, illustrates the spending on Ministerial cars over the last three years of the Labour Government, by Department (excluding other hired car services):
Government Car & Despatch Agency spending | Total (2007-10) |
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (and DBERR & DIUS) | £1,863,036 |
Home Office | £1,474,894 |
Department for Work and Pensions | £1,351,426 |
Department for Communities and Local Government | £1,308,176 |
Department of Health | £1,278,190 |
Cabinet Office | £1,262,490 |
Department for Children, Schools and Families | £1,196,893 |
HM Treasury | £1,155,789 |
Foreign & Commonwealth Office | £1,091,934 |
Ministry of Justice | £938,930 |
Department for Transport | £845,479 |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | £806,189 |
Department for Culture, Media and Sport | £790,297 |
Department for International Development | £755,556 |
Northern Ireland Office | £655,551 |
Other (e.g. Whips / Leaders’ Offices where itemised) | £544,900 |
Law Officers’ Department | £474,731 |
Department for Energy and Climate Change (two years) | £402,130 |
Wales Office | £372,904 |
Scotland Office | £277,913 |
Ministry of Defence (two years) | £191,443 |
Data sources: 22 July 2008, Official Report, Column 117WS; 16 July 2009, Official Report, Column 80WS; 28 October 2010, Official Report, Column 23WS.
My Department’s tangible savings are in stark contrast to the Leader of the Opposition’s taxpayer-funded Short Money travel allowance, which has risen year on year since May 2010 – a fact which betrays a disregard for the need for all parts of the public sector to their bit to help pay off Labour’s deficit.