Ministers who take train are first class

Published on Friday 3 July 2009 10:00

FIRST-class train travel by Scottish Government ministers trebled last year – but most of the journeys were made by transport minister Stewart Stevenson.

Today opposition MSPs called on other ministers to follow his example.

Details released under freedom of information legislation showed ministers made a total of just 57 first-class rail journeys in 2007-8. In 2008-9 that soared to 172.

However, Mr Stevenson's rail trips accounted for more than 60 per cent of the total – 37 out of 57 – in 2007-8.

Last year, he made 127 of the 172 trips recorded – almost three-quarters of the total.

The majority appeared to be journeys between the Capital and Linlithgow, where he has his second home, or between Edinburgh or Linlithgow and his constituency in the north-east of Scotland.

Mr Stevenson could have used government limousines for these journeys, but chose to let the train take the strain.

Finance secretary John Swinney is shown as making only one trip in 2007-8 – but it was the most expensive of them all – 323 to travel between Edinburgh and London. In 2008-9, he is recorded making four first-class rail journeys – and again he tops the ticket price table with a 373 Edinburgh-London trip.

First Minister Alex Salmond made no first-class train journeys in 2007-8, but travelled twice by train last year – once from Edinburgh to Inverurie and once from London to Edinburgh.

The bill for ministers' first-class rail tickets rose from around 2,500 in 2007-8 to more than 6,500 in 2008-9. In addition, several ministers used "flexi-pass" discount tickets at unspecified cost to travel between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Officials said ministers sometimes also travelled standard class, but details were not available.

Lothians Labour MSP George Foulkes said: "I don't mind them going first-class because they need to work on the train and it can sometimes be difficult in standard class.

"But when you think of climate change, ministers ought to be taking a lead, setting an example and going by train as often as possible.

"Stewart Stevenson has shown the way. If he can do it, why can't all the others?

"If elected representatives don't use trains as much as possible, why should we expect other people to do it?"

The code governing ministers' behaviour urges them to be cost conscious about travel. It says: "Ministers should be satisfied that their travel arrangements could be defended in public.

"In using official cars and travelling by rail or air, ministers must always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements."

A government spokesman said: "Ministers are entitled to transport to and from their home to discharge their ministerial duties, whether by car or public transport.

"The Scottish Government encourages cost-effective and sustainable travel for business purposes. Ministers have taken a lead by reducing the number of ministerial car journeys undertaken."