§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many Government cars are available to officials and civil servants in his Department; what are the rules governing their use; and what is the total cost per annum for providing such a service.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergA total of 55 self-drive cars are provided exclusively for use by civil servants within my own Department. In addition, the Government car service, administered by the Property Services Agency, provides a total of 88 cars for use by civil servants in my own and other Government Departments. Eleven are allocated on a first-call basis to permanent secretaries and 77 are in pools serving both Ministers and civil servants.
The rules for use of official cars are laid down by the Civil Service Department. These state that civil servants may normally use a car only for journeys on official business when the use of public transport would be impracticable. Permanent secretaries may use it for official purposes, home to office journeys and social engagements of an official character.
The annual operating cost of these services is £1,670,500.