To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on travel for departmental officials in each of the last five years.

In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions has taken vigorous actions to enhance its business travel policy. The DWP's business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless other alternatives have been examined and exhausted. Where travel is deemed appropriate it requires the use of the most cost effective mode of transport.

The expenditure on travel for DWP officials in each of the last five years is as follows:

This information should be viewed in the context of a Department employing around 100,000 staff.