§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of(a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last four years. [27914]
§ Dr. MoonieI refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 30 January 2002,Official Report, columns 405–06W.
A contract for a departmental taxi service for departmental staff has been in place since November 2001. No contract was in place before this. Expenditure against this contract for the current financial year to 13 February is £2,036. An additional £597 has also been spent outwith this contract.
The figures exclude any amounts spent on taxi hire outside of this contract and reclaimed by officials as travel and expenditure. That information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.