A considerable white elephant

In answer to a question from MP Jeremy Browne, it was revealed in parliament that the total expenditure on travel by ministers and civil servants in the old Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and its replacement was as follows:
ODPM
2002-03 £2,500,200
2003-04 £2,893,167
2004-05 £2,976,065
2005-06 £2,636,968

These were their expenditure within the UK, amounting to £11,006,400. In addition over the same period they had overseas expenditure of £1,366,321, making an overall total of £12,372,721.

These figures do not include the general running costs of the department, nor, of course the cost of Mr. Prescott's country house or croquet., or the continuing waste on regional governments which were never legal. (Neither do they cover such costs as replacing the plaque on his office door!). They cover the travelling and subsistence costs.

Apart from knocking down some reasonably good quality houses in Liverpool and saddling all councillors with the ridiculous "Standards Board", we have to ask whether it was money well spent. The answer is clear, demonstrated with a downward poking thumb. The office and department was created to suit the talents of Mr.Prescott, with eventually relatively little responsibility.

We might wonder why it was necessary to travel abroad on a remit which was very domestic. The answer is, of course, that various international conferences needed the expertise and contribution of Mr. Prescott, especially on climatology and global warming.

The successor department, Communities and Local Government, spent rather less in the one year for which figures were given, 2006-07. Domestically they spent £2,163,825, while abroad they spent £104, 722, slight reductions on Mr. Prescott's largess.

So long as they all had a good time at our expense!