To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months. (153171)

For details of the Department's expenditure on travel and subsistence in 2006-07 I refer to the answer to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) given on 25 July 2007. Of this expenditure, £285,219 was on first class rail travel.

All travel and subsistence is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.

This figure includes most, but not all, first-class train travel by HMT staff. We do not hold central records of train tickets bought with corporate credit cards or for which paper claims are submitted. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.