Mr. BurnTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made in the rules on travel, subsistence and relocation expenses for civil servants.
§ Mr. DorrellAs part of our ongoing programme for delegating to departments and agencies greater responsibility for managing personnel management policies, departments and agencies have been given the freedom to determine within defined limits their own rules and rates for subsistence and the use of private cars on official business.
The rates for subsistence will continue to reflect the principle of reimbursement of necessary additional costs. The rates for motor mileage allowance may go beyond reimbursement of motoring costs and provide an incentive for staff to use their cars on official business but only where it is cost effective for the department to do so. We will also be extending the range of measures available to departments and agencies to meet motoring costs incurred on official business by giving departments and agencies the freedom to offer eligible staff an interest free loan towards the purchase of a car needed for official business.
Such loans may be made only in circumstances where this is the most cost effective approach for departments. The package of measures for new recruits has been extended to provide for refund of relocation expenses on the same basis as existing staff, provided it is limited to shortage and hard-to-fill posts.
The use of these additional measures is at the discretion of departments and agencies, and they must be contained within existing resources.