To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was claimed in expenses for taxi travel by officials from (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2005-06, (iii) 2004-05, (iv) 2003-04 and (v) 2002-03; and if he will make a statement. (227044)

All official travel is undertaken in accordance with rules set out in the Department's Staff guide under Travel and Subsistence and is consistent with the Civil Service Management Code.

The expenditure on taxis by the Department in each year since 2002 is set out in the table. These figures represent expenditure on taxis and black cabs. In addition, some expenditure on black cabs and taxis is included in general travel and subsistence account and cannot be separately identified except at disproportionate cost.

The Department's agency, The Royal Parks, does not itemise taxi costs separately on its accounting system and the cost of disaggregating this expenditure manually from the relevant travel claims would be disproportionate to the amounts involved.