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Civil ServiceLatest NewsEconomics, government & businessDepartment for Work and Pensions

Civil servants reveal expenditure breakdown

by Mike Berry 8 Oct 2007
by Mike Berry 8 Oct 2007

Figures released by several government departments last week revealed millions of pounds of public money was being spent on first-class travel, employment tribunals, taxi fares, newspapers, magazines and flowers.

Personnel Today reported that departments disclosed the spending figures for the period 2006-07 in response to written questions from Conservative MP Mark Hoban.

Here is the full list of expenditure from each department questioned.

Department for Work and Pensions



  • Redundancy pay: Information not available

  • Employment tribunals: £2,907,334.90.

  • Flowers: Information not available

  • First-class rail travel: £9.48m

  • First-class flights: £6,374

  • Business-class flights: £1,415,556

  • Taxi fares: Information not available

  • Newspapers and magazines: £126,393.63

Home Office



  • Redundancy pay: Information not available

  • Employment tribunals: Information not available

  • Flowers: Information not available

  • First-class rail travel: Information not available

  • First-class flights: Information not available

  • Business-class flights: Information not available

  • Taxi fares: £962,533

  • Newspapers and magazines: £131,287

Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform



  • Redundancy pay: £16.49m

  • Employment tribunals: £176,456

  • Flowers: £675

  • First-class rail travel: £1,264,527

  • First-class flights: £173,035

  • Business-class flights: £2,584,247

  • Taxi fares: £349,075

  • Newspapers and magazines: £100,115

Ministry of Justice



  • Redundancy pay: £7,471,574

  • Employment tribunals: Information not available

  • Flowers: Information not available

  • First-class rail travel: Information not available

  • First-class flights: Information not available

  • Business-class flights: Information not available

  • Taxi fares: Information not available

  • Newspapers and magazines: £15,000

Department of Health



  • Redundancy pay: Information not available

  • Employment tribunals: £44,249

  • Flowers: £1,300

  • First-class rail travel: £3,110,108

  • First-class flights: £9,946

  • Business-class flights: £463,723

  • Taxi fares: £310,754

  • Newspapers and magazines: £81,134

Department for Communities and Local Government



  • Redundancy pay: Zero

  • Employment tribunals: Information not available

  • Flowers: £6,100.44

  • All travel costs: £2,004,632

  • Newspapers and magazines: £25,064

Ministry of Defence



  • Redundancy pay: £17m

  • Employment tribunals: Information not available

  • Flowers: Information not available

  • First-class rail travel: Information not available

  • First-class flights: Information not available

  • Business-class flights: Information not available

  • Taxi fares: Information not available

  • Newspapers and magazines: £65,324

Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs



  • Redundancy pay: £11.3m

  • Employment tribunals: £11,087

  • Flowers: Information not available

  • First-class rail travel: £1,242,196

  • First-class flights: £34,690

  • Business-class flights: £1,100,623

  • Taxi fares: £194,840

  • Newspapers and magazines: £72,000

Department for International Development



  • Redundancy pay: £2,653,413

  • Employment tribunals: £1,500

  • Flowers: Information not available

  • Total rail travel: £366,684

  • First-class flights: £41,922

  • Business-class flights: £5,726,318

  • Taxi fares: £248,363

  • Newspapers and magazines: £64,367

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills



  • Redundancy pay: Information not available

  • Employment tribunals: Information not available

  • Flowers: Information not available

  • First-class rail travel: £3,923,948

  • First-class flights: £13,146

  • Business-class flights: £295,593

  • Taxi fares: £268,857

  • Newspapers and magazines: £166,000

Department for Culture, Media and Sport



  • Redundancy pay: £100,475

  • Employment tribunals: Zero

  • Flowers: £4,675

  • First-class rail travel:

  • First-class flights: £65,404

  • Business-class flights: £201,110

  • Taxi fares: £33,907.44

  • Newspapers and magazines: £57,531

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Department for Transport



  • Redundancy pay: Zero

  • Employment tribunals: £176,456

  • Flowers: £2,029

  • First-class rail travel: Information not available

  • First-class flights: Information not available

  • Business-class flights: Information not available

  • Taxi fares: £208,092

  • Newspapers and magazines: £25,064

Foreign & Commonwealth Office



  • Redundancy pay: Zero

  • Employment tribunals: Information not available

  • Flowers: Information not available

  • First-class rail travel: £191,940

  • First-class flights: Information not available

  • Business-class flights: Information not available

  • Taxi fares: £605,080

  • Newspapers and magazines: £1,410,027



Mike Berry

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