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Fat cat ministers’ £7m car bill

Our great leaders’ splash cash, but tell motorists to cut back!

20th November 2008

Government fat cats spend £7.16million a year on chauffeur-driven ministerial cars. And each one costs an average £73,000 to run – that’s 15 times more than the average motorist’s bill!

The shock figures come in the wake of MP Hilary Benn’s recent comments defending fuel price rises as a way to encourage drivers to curb their car use. But an Auto Express investigation has revealed that his motoring bill alone was nearly £66,000 in the last financial year!

In Issue 1,022, we reported Benn, Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs, as saying: “The price of fuel is acting as an incentive for everyone to try to cut their emissions.”

But our Freedom of Information request revealed Benn was allocated £65,969.87 by the Government Car and Despatch Agency in the year to April 2008. And that doesn’t even include taxi journeys or out of hours trips. The average UK motorist pays £4,821 to run a car over 12 months.

Taxpayers’ Alliance spokesman Mark Wallace said: “It’s no surprise that Hilary Benn is happy to see the cost of motoring going through the roof, as tax payers are footing the bill. He’s a hypocrite.” The AA also hit out at the costs. “The average motorist doesn’t have the luxury of being chauffeur driven,” said a spokesman.

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Extra Info

Big spenders: Government departments with the highest bills for running costs

Dept / Annual spend (per car) / Total annual spend

* Northern Ireland Office / £145,750 / £291,500
* Culture, Media and Sport / £80,500 / £241,500
* Home Office / £79,500 / £477,000
* Ministry of Justice / £76,975 / £307,900
* Chief Whips for the Commons and Lords / £76,500 / £76,500
* Foreign and Commonwealth Office / £71,140 / £355,700
* Children, Schools and Families / £69,360 / £346,800
* Work and Pensions / £69,316 / £415,900
* Law Officers Department / £69,200 / £138,400
* Department for Business / £69,080 / £345,400

* Total = £7,160,300

* Total annual spend for all 21 Government departments, all figures from Department for Transport, for financial year 2007-08

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