22 Feb 2017

The Scottish Government spends more than £1 million a year on ministers travelling in luxury taxpayer-funded cars.

New figures have revealed the scale of the expense as the country prepares to mark Scottish Environment Week.

In 2011/12 ministers spent £1.07 million on the Government Car Service.

By last year that had risen to £1.15 million, despite claims from the SNP that it runs an environmentally-friendly administration.

In 2015/16 alone the Scottish Government spent £243,000 hiring vehicles, a new high, and £765,000 staffing them.

A further £11,000 was forked out on “travel and subsistence” while fuel costs dropped to £79,000.

In addition, nearly £50,000 was spent on repairs.

The statistics were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives through Freedom of Information.

Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Liam Kerr said:

“The SNP likes to pretend it runs a green-friendly government, but the reality is quite the reverse.

“Despite repeated claims to be a different kind of administration, it seems the nationalists are quite happy for ministers to be cutting around in luxurious cars funded by the taxpayer.

“Everyone appreciates the need for ministers to get from A to B, but many will question the sheer scale of these costs.

“It’s particularly ironic that this should emerge during Scotland’s Environment Week.

“The SNP is very happy to persuade other people to get out of their cars and find alternative modes of transport.

“Maybe it should be telling its ministers to be doing the same thing.”

Debbie
Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the findings of the
Citizens Advice Bureau report, said:

“It
is shocking to see that hundreds of thousands of low income workers, most of
whom are women, are being blocked from these workplace pension schemes by the
Tory Government.

"This
month Labour demanded the Government look at how people working multiple jobs
could be allowed to save. They refused.”

“While
the Tories abandon older people, Labour wants to ensure that everyone can have
the secure, dignified retirement that they deserve.”

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, commenting on an NAO
report on capital funding for schools, said:

“Hundreds of secondary schools in England are already full to
capacity, while thousands more are crumbling and in desperate need of repair.
Yet the Tories continue to waste millions opening free schools in areas that do
not need them.

“The Government needs to concentrate on increasing capacity and
improving schools in the areas that need it the most.”

Responding
to the Victims’ Commissioner’s review into the treatment of child victims of
sexual and violent offences, Labour’s shadow home office minister, Carolyn
Harris, said:

“It is crucial that the criminal justice system works in the interests of all victims. 

“But it is clear from this review that young victims of some of the most
serious offences feel they are still being let down.

“Rather than trying to downplay the findings, the Government should accept
there is a problem and get on with producing the Victims’ Law they promised to
address it.”

Extending the ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign to the cyber world, the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Shri. Ravi Shankar Prasad, today launched the Cyber Swachhta Kendra–Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre