§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason a Grand Marquis has been bought for use as a flag car in Caracas; who has use of this car; what was the cost of this car; and if he will make a statement. [115737]
§ Mr. BattleThe Embassy in Caracas first explored the purchaser of a Rover 75, which is used as a flag car at several other overseas posts. However, this model was only able to take lead-free petrol which was not available at the time in Venezuela. A decision was then taken to purchase a Grand Marquis at a cost of £18,422.
The flag car is reserved for official use by the Head of Mission. He is expected to use his private car for non-official (i.e. private use) purposes. The flag car may be used by the Charge when Head of Mission is not at post.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many flag cars have been purchased for the official use of ambassadors and high commissioners since 1 May 1997; how many of each model have been purchased; and at what total cost. [115736]
605W
§ Mr. BattleThe following table shows how many flags cars have been purchased for the official use of Ambassadors and High Commissioners since 1 May 1997, how many of each model and the total cost.
In addition the FCO purchased one Rolls-Royce on special concessionary terms.
Model Number Cost (£) Cadillac 1 19,835.28 Daimler 1 34,500.00 Land Rover Discovery 23 541,244.94 Ford Mondeo 1 14,350.72 Ford Grand Marquis 1 18,422.36 Jaguar S Type 4 88,269.65 Jaguar Sovereign 10 502,409.51 Jaguar XJ6 2 47,302.00 Jaguar XJ8 15 481,071.99 Opel Omega 1 21,232.36 Range Rover 30 966,938.68 Rover 620 1 13,862.17 Rover 75 6 88,591.97 Rover 820 2 26,211.22 Rover 825/Sterling 13 1,126,372.67 Toyota L/c Vx 1 20,557.41 Volvo S80 F 1 19,253.40 Volvo V70 1 21,200.00 Total number/cost of flag cars purchased since 1 May 1997 114 4,051,626.33