PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Travel (11 December 2014)

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how much the Government Equalities Office has spent on (a) taxis, (b) first class train tickets and (c) business class air travel in each of the last five years.

Asked by:
Lucy Powell (Labour)

With the exception of spending on taxis, and for travel before financial year 2013/14, the systems used by the Government Equalities Office did not routinely classify travel information in this way and producing it would incur disproportionate cost.

Expenditure on taxis fares is available for the past 3 years: Prior years were not held in the format requested -

FY Expenditure

09/10 information not held

10/11 information not held

11/12 £1,172

12/13 £2,297

13/14 £452

The Government Equalities Office has only been able to recognise the class of travel from 01 April 2013 when it joined DCMS under a Machinery of Government transfer. Prior to this date, information was held by other parent Departments of GEO and extracting this data could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Records show that GEO incurred expenditure for one business class flight during 2013/14 at a cost of £2,218.59. This relates to an outward trip as the Minister was due to attend a meeting immediately upon landing. The minister returned economy class.

No expenditure is recorded for First Class train tickets.

Answered by:
Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat)
18 December 2014