I am publishing today (9 February 2017) details of the charges incurred by departments for the use of official government cars provided to ministers by the Government Car Service (GCS) during the financial year 2015-16, which are in the attached table.
Official transport is provided so that ministers can carry out their work effectively and securely, including working on sensitive and confidential government documents whilst travelling.
We are committed to continuing our focus on reducing the cost to the taxpayer of the provision of secure ministerial cars. The Government Car Service has reduced its running costs by three quarters since 2010. We continue to be committed to reducing the cost to the taxpayer of the provision of secure transport.
To assist public scrutiny, equivalent figures for the £6.7 million charges to each department under the last Labour Government can be found at 28 October 2010, Official Report, Column 23WS.
| Department | No. of GCS Departmental Pool Car Services @ 31/03/2016 | Departmental Pool Car Service | Pre-Booked Service | Total Charges (all services) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney General’s Office (formerly Law Officers’ Department) | 1 | £82,221.67 | £0.00 | £82,221.67 |
| Cabinet Office | 3 | £181,486.50 | £6,172.25 | £187,658.75 |
| Government Chief Whip | 0 | £25,435.49 | £3,076.25 | £28,511.74 |
| Leader of the House of Commons | 1 | £73,233.74 | £0.00 | £73,233.74 |
| Department for Business, Innovation and Skills | 1 | £84,797.79 | £4,512.45 | £89,310.24 |
| Department for Education | 1 | £87,837.30 | £24,899.33 | £112,736.63 |
| Department for Communities and Local Government | 2 | £172,334.20 | £2,260.35 | £174,594.55 |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 1 | £82,449.30 | £292.50 | £82,741.80 |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change | 1 | £83,199.54 | £1,907.25 | £85,106.79 |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 1 | £94,646.45 | £9,689.11 | £104,335.56 |
| Department for International Development | 1 | £22,172.98 | £6,052.50 | £28,225.48 |
| Department for Transport | 2 | £171,639.84 | £4,472.05 | £176,111.89 |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 0 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Department of Health | 1 | £84,353.29 | £75.00 | £84,428.29 |
| Foreign & Commonwealth Office | 0 | £0.00 | £705.00 | £705.00 |
| HM Treasury | 2 | £202,226.95 | £37,397.27 | £239,624.22 |
| Home Office | 2 | £171,392.96 | £27,703.94 | £199,096.90 |
| Ministry of Defence | 0 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Ministry of Justice | 0 | £0.00 | £1,555.00 | £1,555.00 |
| Northern Ireland Office | 0 | £0.00 | £11,736.03 | £11,736.03 |
| Scotland Office | 0 | £0.00 | £593.70 | £593.70 |
| Wales Office | 0 | £0.00 | £3,342.76 | £3,342.76 |
| 20 | £1,619,427.99 | £146,442.74 | £1,765,870.73 |
Methodological note:
The charges recorded in this statement reflect the service model which came into effect in April 2012 as part of the reform programme. This provides Departmental Pool Cars which are a shared resource for a department to use as efficiently as possible. In addition, the Car Service offers a small pre-bookable service utilising any spare capacity.
These charges do not necessarily reflect the total spend on car services as some departments have arrangements with other providers. The Treasury has 2 Cabinet Ministers. The former Chancellor used the Government Car Service to supply a driver and vehicle for his protection package whereas the PM, Home, Foreign, Defence and Northern Ireland Secretaries of State used the Metropolitan Police. Such charges are not included in the table.