§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what motor mileage allowance rates his Department offers to(a) Ministers and (b) civil servants using their own vehicles for official business; and what has been the cost of each in each of the last five years. [98693]
§ Mr. HainThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office pays motor mileage allowance at three main rates in the United Kingdom.
- Public Transport rate of 24.8 pence per mile.
- Standard rate (paid when official or public transport is not readily available):
- up to 4,000 miles a year at 39.5 pence per mile.
- over 4,000 miles a year at 22.0 pence per mile.
Ministers, when travelling on official business, may use a private car instead of an official car, and claim mileage allowance in the same circumstances and on the same terms as officials.
Details of expenditure on mileage allowances are not held centrally and it would involve disproportionate cost to obtain this information.