Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will quantify the cost of the factors which led to an increase in the cost of cars for Ministers in his Department since 1990–91.
§ Mr. ForthThe level of charges for ministerial cars is determined centrally by the Government car service—GCS. I am informed by GCS managers that there are two main factors which have led to an increase in the cost per GCS car for Ministers in this Department in 1990–91. The first is the effect of inflation on GCS costs, particularly pay, vehicles and fuel. The second factor is that during this period the GCS restructured its charges to reflect the fact that it had been under-recovering its full costs in 1990–91.