Road transport for the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), is normally provided by the Metropolitan police.

Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure on car travel by the Junior Defence Ministers is shown in the following table:

This Government have taken a series of steps to reduce the cost of ministerial travel. Our departmental spend with the Government Car and Despatch Agency on ministerial travel has fallen by 58% from 2009-10 to 2011-12.

Details for the cost of ministerial cars are published in the annual written ministerial statement (28 October 2010, Official Report, column 23WS; 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 30WS; 20 December 2012, Official Report, column 127WS). Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

Use of a Hackney Carriage taxi is often cheaper and more cost-effective than using the pool car arrangements provided by the Government Car Service. From 2008-09 to 2009-10, expenditure by ministerial offices was £3,751; comparative spending from 2010-11 to 2011-12 was £3,248. This figure includes travel by staff within ministerial offices—it is not a figure solely for travel by Ministers.

Ministers have made occasional use of private hire vehicles when making official visits to different parts of the country; total expenditure on such vehicles for the period in question is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

[holding answer 25 February 2013]: No Addison Lee taxis have been booked for use by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), in the last twelve months.

From 1 February 2012 to 31 January 2013 Addison Lee taxis have been booked for the use of staff in the Secretary of State's ministerial office on six occasions, at a total cost of £141.80.

It is not possible to separately identify the number of taxi journeys billed to the Crown Prosecution Service West Midlands. To provide this information would involve checking very large numbers of paper claim forms and would incur disproportionate costs.

The CPS has a comprehensive system of prescribed financial checks and controls in place, which include the requirement for managers to perform regular, proportionate, management checks on financial transactions. The controls and processes are subject to annual NAO audit and periodic internal audit agreed with the Audit and Risk Committee chaired by an independent non-executive board member. These controls are supported by relevant and up-to-date guidance detailing the CPS’ accounting procedures, controls and systems, which is available on the CPS intranet.

CPS internal audit carries out routine checks to assure financial regularity and propriety at a national level, and a sample of payments is reviewed every year to confirm key controls are in place and operating as intended. Over the past four years, these payment samples have tested claims for travel (including taxis) from witnesses.

CPS transactions are also subject to the usual NAO annual review as part of the certification process for the statutory accounts.

It is not possible to separately identify the number of taxi journeys for witnesses from centrally held records. To provide this information would involve checking very large numbers of paper claim forms and would incur disproportionate costs.

Information on departmental spend is published in the annual written ministerial statement, details of which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses:

2009/10:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372

2010/11:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194

2010/12:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

Ministry of Justice spending on ministerial cars has fallen by 37% over the past three years.

The Ministerial Code, published on 21 May 2010, included changes to the circumstances in which Ministers would be entitled to a car and driver. The number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers would be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other considerations. Other Ministers would be entitled to use cars from a ministerial car pool as required.

Information relating to expenditure on taxis for ministerial travel for each year since 2009-10 is included in the following table:

All Ministers are encouraged to walk or use public transport wherever practicable.

Information on departmental spend in relation to the Government Car Service is published in the annual written ministerial statement, details of which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses. The following provide links to the relevant publications.

2009-10

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372

2010-11

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194

2011-12

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216

The charges recorded in the latest statement show a continuing reduction in the amount spent on official cars for Ministers. Costs to Departments have seen a 49% reduction in the latest figures when compared to those of the previous year and a 72% reduction when compared to the figures for April 2009 to March 2010.

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

The table gives details of this Department's spend on taxis since 2009-10. Prior to this Administration, Ministers were allocated a car each by GCS, but due to the need to observe the Working Time Directive, the use of taxis was high.

From 2010 to 1 October 2012, GCS offered an 'ad hoc' service, which reduced the reliance on taxis and, therefore, money spent on taxis.

From 1 October 2012, a combination of taxis and a departmental official vehicle have been used for official journeys; the car is available to all departmental officials, including Ministers. Details of costs and journeys undertaken by individuals in the official car are not held.

The Department for Transport does not hold information on the number of wedding and funeral vehicle providers.

Information on expenditure on the Government Car Service is published annually in a written ministerial statement and can be found within the Libraries of both Houses and at:

2009/10:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm# 10102827000372

2010/11:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm# 12011611000194

2010/12:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm# 12122056000216

Official cars are an essential service for Ministers in order that they can carry out their work effectively but we are committed to continuing our focus on the cost of this service.

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

Information on taxi services used by Ministers in each year since 2009-10 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office spent £325,207.78 on taxis during 2011-12 just one third of the sum which it spent in 2008-09, under the previous Administration. Due to the restructuring of the Home Department over the past years, we do not have details for Identity and Passport Service, Criminal Records Bureau and National Fraud Authority for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 and the figures for these years do not include such organisations.

In addition the Home Office taxi policy summary states that staff should avoid using taxis wherever possible, using instead public transport, such as, where available, train, bus or tube and will be reimbursed for taxi fares only if the line manager is satisfied that the cost was incurred out of necessity.

The Scotland Office spend on taxi or car services for ministers and officials is listed in the following table:

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport spend on car services for ministerial travel through the Government Car Service is set out as follows.

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

The following table sets out spending on taxi and other car services.

The following table sets out total spending on the Government Car Service, taxis and other car services.

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

The departmental spend on the Government Car Service is published in the annual written ministerial statements which can be found at:

2009/10:

http://tinyurl.com/cel89qy

2010/11:

http://tinyurl.com/c4qotuu

2011/12:

http://tinyurl.com/c8z38ll

These details are available in the Libraries of both Houses, with the exception of the cost for 2012-13 which will be published later this year.

The announcement by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Stephen Hammond), in 2012, sets out the continuing reduction in the amount spent on official cars for Ministers, available at:

http://tinyurl.com/d3e4h44

The departmental spend on taxi and car services for ministerial travel could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Department for Transport does not hold this information.

Details for the cost of ministerial cars are published in the annual written Ministerial Statement, details of which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses.

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

(b) Within the Department for International Development's information system it is not possible to disaggregate spending on taxis between Ministers and civil servants. It is therefore not possible to obtain this information without incurring disproportionate cost, however ministerial use of taxis in negligible.

For spend on the Government Car Service for ministerial travel, I refer the hon. Member to the information on departmental spend published in the annual written ministerial statement, details for which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses:

2009-10

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372

2010-11

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194

2011-12

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

Additionally, in 2010-11, we spent £76,936 through FCO Services on the London Car Service. In 2011-12 this spend was £148,850 and in the current financial year to December 2012, we have spent £111,931. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office moved from using only the Government Car Service to using the London Car Service (run by FCO Services) in September 2010.

Taxis are only used for ministerial travel in exceptional circumstances, where the Government Car Service or London Car Service is not available. To collate information on spend would incur disproportionate cost.

Information on departmental spend on the Government Car Service is published in the annual written ministerial statement, details of which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses. The spend recorded shows a continuing reduction in the amount spent on official cars for Ministers. Costs to Departments have seen a 49% reduction in the latest figures when compared to those of the previous year and a 72% reduction when compared to the figures for April 2009 to March 2010:

2009-10

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm# 10102827000372

2010-11

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm# 12011611000194

2011-12

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm# 12122056000216

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

DFT Ministers use a mix of ministerial cars and public transport. I regret that the information on other taxi or car services is not held in the format requested.

In accordance with the Ministerial Code, Ministers in the Department always ensure that they make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Details of how much my Department has spent on the Government Car Service is published in the annual written ministerial statement, which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses:

2009-10:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372

2010-11:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194

2011-12:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216

As was the case under previous Administrations, records of taxi use by my Department are not recorded centrally.

Information on departmental spend on the Government Car Service is published annually in a written ministerial statement, details of which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses or via the following links.

2009-10

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372

2010-11

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194

2011-12

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216

Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

The Ministerial Code, published on 21 May 2010, included changes to the circumstances in which Ministers would be entitled to a car and driver. The number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers would be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other considerations. The Treasury currently has one allocated car. While other Ministers would be entitled to use cars from a Ministerial Car Pool as required, all Ministers are encouraged to walk or use public transport wherever practicable.

Ministerial spending on other taxi or car services is not available within disproportionate costs threshold.

Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.

My Department has a contract with the Government Car Service for the supply of a departmental car. A new contract was entered into in 2012-13. The total costs of this contract for the years in question are set out in the following tables. The Department does not hold separate records for use of the service by Ministers.