To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was claimed in expenses for taxi travel by officials from his Department in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2005-06, (c) 2004-05, (d) 2003-04 and (e) 2002-03; and if he will make a statement.

Details of expenditure on taxi travel claimed by departmental officials for 2006-07 and 2005-06 are set out as follows:

The expenditure is based on staff travel claims and approved invoices received from taxi companies paid via the Department's integrated financial information system. Expenditure on taxi travel in the three financial years prior to 2005 was recorded under a general heading of travel expenses; the Department is unable to separately identify the cost of taxi fares for these years. To extract the specific financial data requested would involve disproportionate cost.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007 as a result of a machinery of government change and the expenditure recorded relates to that of its predecessor Department, the Department for Education and Skills.