Government Car and Despatch Agency
Announcing details of charges incurred by departments for the use of official government cars from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012.
I am publishing today details of the charges incurred by departments for the use of official government cars provided to ministers by the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) during the year 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012. This is in line with previous annual statements.
The charges recorded in the statement show a continuing reduction in the amount spent on official cars for ministers. Costs to departments have seen a 49% reduction in the latest figures when compared to those of the previous year and a 72% reduction when compared to the figures for April 2009 to March 2010:
| 2009 to 2010 | April 2010 | May 2010 to March 2011 | 2011 to 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £6.7 million | £0.8 million | £2.9 million | £1.9 million |
Official cars are an essential service for ministers in order that they can carry out their work effectively but we are committed to continuing our focus on the cost of this service.
The charges recorded in the statement also reflect the progress made on restructuring the service to maximise value for money whilst improving standards of service delivery. This programme of reform includes the development of a new service model which will offer up further cost savings on the provision of the service. The new service model was announced in February 2012 and introduced in April 2012. The associated charges will be reflected in next years’ written ministerial statement.
The figures for 2011 to 2012 are:
| Department | Allocated cars (see footnote 1) | Allocated cost | Ministerial car pool | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney General’s Office | 1 | £76,645.29 | £15,495.00 | £92,140.29 |
| Cabinet Office | 1 | £58,097.77 | £24,456.90 | £82,554.67 |
| Department for Business, Innovation and Skills | 1 | £71,075.32 | £3,270.71 | £74,346.03 |
| Department for Education | 1 | £71,912.21 | £91,270.73 | £163,182.94 |
| Department for Communities and Local Government | 1 | £83,689.50 | £119,130.47 | £202,819.97 |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 0 | £0.00 | £1,740.81 | £1,740.81 |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change | 0 | £0.00 | £36,687.79 | £36,687.79 |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 1 | £74,013.16 | £5,691.82 | £79,704.98 |
| Department for International Development | 0 | £31,649.41 | £48,434.94 | £80,084.35 |
| Department for Transport | 1 | £84,818.65 | £56,221.79 | £141,040.44 |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 1 | £87,388.17 | £57,117.69 | £144,505.86 |
| Department of Health | 1 | £7,885.11 | £119,966.86 | £127,851.97 |
| Foreign & Commonwealth Office | 0 | £0.00 | £23,020.77 | £23,020.77 |
| HM Treasury | 1 | £105,640.88 | £47,802.27 | £153,443.15 |
| Home Office | 1 | £75,922.71 | £60,919.17 | £136,841.88 |
| Ministry of Defence | 0 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Ministry of Justice | 1 | £91,509.03 | £103,405.45 | £194,914.48 |
| Northern Ireland Office | 0 | £0.00 | £34,289.71 | £34,289.71 |
| Scotland Office | 0 | £0.00 | £60.00 | £60.00 |
| Wales Office | 1 | £78,067.12 | £6,380.00 | £84,447.12 |
| 13 | £998,314.33 | £855,362.88 | £1,853,677.21 |
Where ministers were provided with a protected service because of their need for greater security, the costs related to this service are not included as this is not paid for directly by departments but centrally by the Home Office.
Ministers may use other means of transport or other secure providers of car services, so the official figures provided by GCDA for the statement may not reflect the total spend by departments on cars used for ministerial travel.
These figures do not cover the full costs of delivering the car service. These are set out annually in the GCDA annual report and accounts.
1Number of Allocated cars as of the 31 of March 2012. One allocated car service terminated mid-year.