Justine Greening (- Shadow Minister, Communities and Local Government; Putney, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on (a) car hire, (b) train travel, (c) air travel, (d) hotels and (e) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Wansdyke, Labour)

From information held centrally, the core-Department's expenditure on (a) car hire since 2005-06 is:

On the train travel and air travel the expenditure is:

Information on the split of car-hire expenditure between Ministers and staff could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

On hotels, the expenditure is:

Information on the split of hotel expenditure between Ministers and staff could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The core-Department's financial system records the following expenditure for UK and overseas subsistence but restaurant meals expenditure for Ministers and staff could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively. The Cabinet office publish an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list was published on 16 July and can be viewed at:

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/proprietyandethics/ministers/travelgifts.aspx

The Department for Transport publish an annual written ministerial statement on the cost of ministerial cars. The latest one can be viewed at:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhanrd/cm090716/wmstext/90716m0009