To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) parking tickets and (b) speeding fines were issued for vehicles used by his Department in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to the public purse of those penalties was in each such year. (183361)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 29 October 2007, Official Report, column 823W, to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker).

Parking fines incurred and paid for by the Department over the financial year 2006-07 totalled £1,750 and for financial year 2007-08 (up to end January 2008) totalled £1,610.

All of the drivers employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services are required to abide by the law at all times, they are held personally responsible for any speeding or other driving offences they may commit while on duty and these fines are not paid for from the public purse.

For previous years the information is not held centrally and could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.

In respect of vehicles provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 5 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1014-15W, by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Poplar and Canning Town (Jim Fitzpatrick).