HC Deb 31 October 1995 vol 265 cc214-9W
Dr. Lynne Jones

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what rates of travel allowance may be claimed by civil servants in his Department when using their own vehicles for official business. [36373]

Mr. Boswell

The following standard rates of motor mileage allowance are payable to staff in core MAFF and PSD who use their own vehicles on official business in 1995–96:

Up to 1,500 cc 1,501–2,000 cc Over 2,000 cc
Up to 5,000 miles 36p/mile 45p/mile 48p/mile
Over 5,000 miles 24p/mile 28p/mile 37p/mile

Alternatively, a rate of 24.2p/mile is payable in respect of cars for which only third party insurance is held or where use of the car is not essential for official business. Separate rates are payable to the very small number of staff who ride their own motor cycles on official business.

Agencies have responsibility for these matters and will be replying direct where their position is not covered above.

Letter from T. W. A. Little to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 31 August 1995:

The Minister has asked me to reply to your question on rates of travel allowance which may be claimed by staff in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (previously the Central Veterinary Laboratory). [36373]

The following standard rates of motor mileage allowance are payable in 1995/96 to staff in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency who use their own vehicles on official business:

Pence per mile Up to 1500 cc 1501–2000cc Over 2000 cc
Up to 5000 miles 36 45 48
Over 5000 miles 24 28 37

Alternatively, a rate of 24.2 pence per mile is payable in respect of cars for which only third party insurance is held or where use of the car is not essential for official business. Separate rates are payable to any staff who ride their own motorcycles on official business.

Letter from Johnston McNeill to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 31 October 1995:

As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS), your questions regarding travel and subsistence costs for civil servants have been passed to me to respond to with regard to this Executive Agency. As you may know, the MHS was established on 1 April this year. Therefore, we have no figures to give you for previous financial years. Any such costs that were incurred in setting up this Agency prior to 1 April will be included in core-MAFF's reply. [36373]

The MHS transferred the majority of its circa 1000 staff from local authorities. These staff brought with them under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) varying conditions of service, including vastly different mileage rates. These are now being standardised into the amounts quoted below.

The rates of allowance for MHS staff are being set for 'casual' users at 35p per mile for the first 5000 miles in a year, and 23p per mile thereafter. We also operate an 'essential' users scheme which we inherited from local authorities for 170 of the staff who transferred to the MHS. These rates for the current financial year are up to 34.7p per mile for the first 11,000 miles, 12.7p thereafter, in England and Wales, less for smaller sized vehicles. In Scotland, the rates are 35.1p per mile in the first instance, 13.2p thereafter. Again there are lower rates for smaller vehicles. Additionally, these employees are at this time paid a lump sum of between £645 and £1158 per annum dependent on the size of vehicle and whether they are in England, Wales or Scotland, to use their cars under this scheme. These amounts will reduce at 1 April 1996 to between £513 and £750.

Letter from Phillip Needham to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 31 October 1995:

The Minister of Agriculture has asked me to reply direct to you in answer to your question number 1762. In this you asked me what rates of travel allowance may be claimed by Civil Servants in his Department when using their own vehicles for official business. [36373]

ADAS was formed as a Next Steps Agency in April 1992. The Agency employs approximately 1,600 consultants who provide a commercial service to all parts of the land related industries, as well as government customers. Wherever possible, staff are encouraged to use the hire car facilities that the Agency has negotiated.

When staff use their own vehicles they are paid at the rate of 44p for the first 5,000 miles travelled on official business. Thereafter they are paid at the rat of 29p per mile. These payments are taxable.

Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 31 October 1995:

The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to your question about the rates of travel allowance which may be claimed by staff in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate when using their own vehicles on official business as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. [36373]

In 1995/96, the following rates of motor mileage allowance are payable:

Up to 1500 cc 1501–2000cc Over 2000 cc
Up to 15,000 miles (p/mile) 36 45 48
Over 5,000 miles (p/mile) 24 28 37

Where only third party insurance is held or where travel by car is not essential for official business, a rate of 24.2p/mile is payable.

Although no VMD staff have used motorcycles on official business in the past, separate motorcycle rates are payable as follows:

Engine size up to 125cc Engine size over 125 cc
Up to 4,000 miles
(a) third party insurance (p/mile) 15.1 23.6
(b) Comprehensive insurance (p/mile) 16.8 27.0
Over 4,000 miles (p/mile) 5,4 9.3

The third party rate also applies when travel by motorcycle is not essential for official business.

Finally, a pedal cycle allowance of 6.3 p/mile is also payable when used for official business, although no VMD staff have claimed such an allowance to date.

Dr. Jones

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the total cost of travel expenses claimed by civil servants using their own vehicles for official business in each of the last five years in his Department; and what would have been the saving in the last year if the maximum rate that could be claimed was set at the lowest rate. [36374]

Mr. Boswell

The total cost of paying motor mileage allowances to those staff who used their own cars on official business in each of the last five years is as follows:

Year Amount (£000)
1991–91 (i)1 6,698.0
1991–92 (ii)1 6,596.0
1992–93 (ii)2 3,426.0
1993–94 (ii)2 3,771.0
1994–95 (iii)3 3,798.0
1 Figures include all MAFF Agencies.
2 Agencies included are the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Pesticides Safety Directorate (the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service, Veterinary Laboratories Agency and Central Science Laboratory are not included).
3 Figures are for core-Department and PSD only.

For purposes of comparison, the costs of paying the maximum rates—standard rate mileage allowances for cars of over 2,000 cc—have been compared with the costs that would have been incurred had the standard rates applying to cars of up to 1,500 cc and 1,501 to 2,000 cc been paid instead. On this basis, the savings that would have resulted in 1994–95 are estimated at £106,000 and £47,000 respectively in core MAFF, PSD and VMD. Public transport rate has not been used as a basis for comparison as the conditions attaching to its payment are different from those for standard rates.

Agencies now have responsibility for these matters and where their position is not covered above will be replying direct.

Letter from T. W. A. Little to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 31 October 1995:

The Minister has asked me to reply to your question on travel expenses claimed by staff in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (previously the Central Veterinary Laboratory until 30 September 1995), using their own vehicles. [36374]

The total cost of paying motor mileage allowances to those staff in what was then the Central Veterinary Laboratory who used their own cars on official business in each of the last three years is as follows:

Year Cost £
1992–93 10,710.37
1993–94 14,494.13
1994–95 14,461.62

Previous years included in the reply from core-MAFF. For purposes of comparison, the costs of paying maximum rates (standard rate mileage allowances for cars over 2000 cc) have been compared with the costs that would have been incurred had the standard rates applying to cars of up to 1500 cc and 1501–2000 cc been paid instead. On this basis the savings that would have resulted in 1994–95 are estimated at £688 and £340 respectively for CVL. Public transport rate has not been used as a basis for comparison since the conditions attached to its payment are different from those for standard rates.

Letter from Phillip Needham to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 31 October 1995:

The Minister of Agriculture has asked me to reply direct to your question number 1768. In this you asked him to list the total cost of travel expenses claimed by Civil Servants using their own vehicles for official business in each of the last five years. You also wished to know the saving in the last year if the maximum rate that could be claimed were set at the lowest rate. [36374]

ADAS was formed as a Next Steps Agency in 1992. Details of claims prior to this period will be contained in the answer from the Core Department. Travel by car is undertaken by staff as part of their work providing commercial consultancy services to a broad range of clients including Government departments. The expenditure on official mileage since that date is as follows:

  • 1992–93: £3,087,973
  • 1993–94: £3,354,264
  • 1994–95: £3,265,352

During the last year, if we had paid the highest rate at the lowest rate (i.e. paying all mileage at the lowest rate currently 29p) there would have been a saving of £118,814. This figure is a total for each of the three bands of vehicle engine size.

Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 31 October 1995:

The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to your question about the total cost of travel expenses claimed by staff in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate in each of the last five years when using their own vehicles on official business, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. [36374]

I am afraid information for 1990/91 is not separately identifiable. but the details requested for the four subsequent years is set out below:

  • 1991–92: £5,309.49
  • 1992–93: £8,009.35
  • 1993–94: £6,617.15
  • 1994–95: £9,723,48

You also asked what would have been the saving in the last year if the maximum rate that could be claimed was set at the lowest rate. Unfortunately this cannot be separately identified for the Directorate other than at disproportionate cost, but VMD has been covered in the reply to this part of your question by the Parliamentary Secretary, along with core MAFF and the Pesticides Safety Directorate.

Letter from P. I. Stanley to Dr. Lynne Jones dated 31 October 1995:

TRAVEL EXPENSES OF CIVIL SERVANTS USING THEIR OWN VEHICLES FOR OFFICIAL BUSINESS

You asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food two questions in relation to Civil Servants using their own cars for official business. The Minister has asked me to reply to you as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. [36373 and 36374]

The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) was first launched as an executive agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in April 1992. As a result I can only provide annual costs of travel expenses for CSL staff using their own vehicles for official business from 1992–93. Earlier figures are included in the Departmental total. Further, CSL was re-launched as an enlarged agency in April 1994 following its merger with the MAFF Food Science Laboratories. This partly explains the marked increase in the total cost of such travel expenses for 1994–95 over the two earlier years. At the same time CSL's National Bee Unit took on additional responsibility for regional bee work and this significantly increased the number of travel claims.

Total are as follows:

  • 1992–93: £57.88K
  • 1993–94: £71.45K
  • 1994–95: £156.53K

The saving in the last year, if the maximum rate that could be claimed was set at either of the lower rates applying to cars of up to 1,500cc and 1,501–2,000cc, would have been £1,167 or £291 respectively. These figures may appear low, but a relatively low mileage was claimed on vehicles over 2,000cc. Public transport rate has not been used as a basis for comparison as the conditions attaching to its payment are different to those for standard rates.

The current standard mileage allowances for cars, which came into effect on 1 April 1995, is:

Up to 5,000 miles Over 5,000 miles
Up to 1,500 cc 36 p/mile 24 p/mile
1,501–2,000 cc 45 p/mile 28 p/mile
Over 2,000 cc 48 p/mile 37 p/mile

The public transport rate for all cars is 24.2 pence per mile.