"Rail Minister Spends 80k A Year To Be Driven To Work"

[GNER 91128]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...hit-fare-hikes-chauffeur-35-mile-commute.html

Thousands are hit by fare hikes... but not the rail minister who spends £80,000 on a CHAUFFEUR for his 35-mile commute

• Simon Burns claims he takes the £400-a-day car to work as he can't take his ministerial Red Box on the train for security reasons
• But the Transport Department contradicted him saying he CAN travel by train as long as sensitive details can't be seen
• He travels in a brand-new £25,000 Toyota Avensis which is one of two cars owned by the Government department

The Minister for rail fares is being chauffeured to and from work each day – so he can avoid the overcrowded trains he is responsible for.

Simon Burns is ferried the 35 miles between his Essex home and his Whitehall office in the comfort of a Government car which costs the taxpayer £80,000 a year.

The expensive perk sparked outrage from fellow politicians and from commuters reeling from last week’s inflation-busting fare rises.

Last night, Mr Burns a Tory Minister of State with responsibility for ‘rail strategy’ and ‘fares policy’, was humiliated when he tried to explain his actions.

He claimed he took the £400-a-day car from his Chelmsford home only because he was barred from working on his Red Box of official Ministerial papers on the train for security reasons.

(read more)

Yes I know it's from the daily fail, but It's one of those headlines that is bound to get people talking! I wouldn't have posted it if it hadn't been someone else other than the rail minister. This story has obviously come out because of the fare increases this week! and I'm also quite suprised the fail are attacking a tory minister!

I do think this man should be taking the train for pr purposes as his job involves raising prices and should be seen having to take a season ticket ptice increase like everyone else that commutes to London and back.

 

[wintonian]

It's been standard practise for decades for ministerial cars to be used for the conveyance of red boxes (with or without the accompanying minister) as is demonstrated in this 2010 Guardian article

Ministers' red box blues

Cameron ban on use of chauffeur driven cars undermined by rule that red boxes must travel in separate private cars

David Cameron's ban on ministers travelling in chauffeur driven cars has gone somewhat awry. Only last year the then Conservative leader promised to cut the cost of government before he came to power, annoyed by excessive spending on ministerial cars.

Now ministers are being told they must travel to their constituencies by second class public transport, but for security reasons their red boxes must travel to the constituency separately in a private car. So when one minister, who cannot be named but whose identity is known to the Guardian, asked his private office in the past 24 hours if he could accompany his red box in the car to do some work, he was told this was not allowed under the latest rules on ministerial travel. As a result, he will be travelling several hundred miles by train to his constituency, where he will greet his red box.

It is not the first time Cameron has had problems with ministerial cars. When as leader of the opposition he cycled to Westminster, his papers followed – in a car provided by the government's car service.

 

[Temple Meads]

The worst part is that taxpayers money has been spent on the most boring car ever :P

 

[GNER 91128]

The worst part is that taxpayers money has been spent on the most boring car ever :P

I know!! They descibe a Toyota Avensis as a limo!! It's hardly a 7 series or an S class!!

 

[RYS]

Please do not let your perceived politics get in the way of a story tho, no matter how wrong you are to think its the first time and only undertaken by the Tories. Pathetic outrage from the op and only because he thinks its a Tory issue.

Shame full.

Yeah and pathetic outrage from typical left-wing, anti-tory Daily Ma... Oh wait.

 

[Clip]

Yeah and pathetic outrage from typical left-wing, anti-tory Daily Ma... Oh wait.

You missed my point somewhat I feel
Given I'm actually more right wing but yet I believe in balance rather than spewing rubbish and slagging folk as the op did before the edit.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The Daily Mail is very anti-Cameronite though (i.e. those on the left of the Conservatives as opposed to the Thathcherite, staunchly traditional faction). Can't say I blame them to be fair, the Tories need a proper leader. It does infuriate me though how some will read this and think 'b****** Tories', when in fact people from all parties do it. Just like Mr Balls calling Cameron and Osbourne privately-educated posh boys. And where did you go Milliband / Balls?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The worst part is that taxpayers money has been spent on the most boring car ever :P

But it is built in Derby (cue hysterical Bombardier debate) and the engine is from Deeside.

 

[crewmeal]

Regardless of everyone's thoughts on the Daily Mail, it seems as all the papers have tagged the story. Here is the Torygraph's take on it:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...muting-for-80000-a-year-departmental-car.html

Rail fares minister shuns commuting for £80,000-a-year departmental car

Rail fares minister Simon Burns is under fire after it emerged he shuns commuting by train in favour of an £80,000 a year chauffeur-driven government car.

The Conservative MP travels the 35 miles between his Essex home and Westminster using the car, according to the Mail on Sunday.

The disclosure comes just days after inflation-busting average rises of 4.2% for regulated rail fares, which include season tickets, took effect for passengers.

A spokesman for passengers' campaign group Railfuture told the newspaper: ''It would be nice if the person who is setting these fare rises was also experiencing some of the congestion and overcrowding endured by ordinary, hard-pressed travellers.''

Mr Burns reportedly defended his regular use of the Department for Transport pool car by saying: ''I have given up my second home in London and I commute to and from work carrying classified papers which I work on during my journey.''

(read more)

Is it any wonder that people will vote UKIP. These people only serve themselves to feather their own nests. Their interests are not the people they represent.

 

[merlodlliw]

This system has been used by all Parties , nothing new about it.

I recall Wyn Roberts(Con) using a Govt Car to get from Llandudno to Runcorn for London as he told us, it was quicker, Wyn Roberts was Sec Of State for Wales.

Govt cars run between Cardiff/Flintshire/Wrexham at least twice a week for(Lab) Ministers use, even though WG runs its own train to both, some things will never change, no matter who is in power.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Did a certain Mr Robert Crow make any statement on this matter ? I do so admire his cool and impartial view on matters..:roll:

 

[DarloRich]

:roll::roll: Despite my less than love for our glorious Tory leaders I would be similarly outraged if it was a Labour junior minister.

Yes, some minsters need driving around for security and "operational" purposes. I would suggest that a lower level minister in the DfT does not. We are supposed to be almost bankrupt as a country yet we have £80k to shuttle this no mark about. How many other millions are we paying shuttling about other no marks? Pip Pip we are all in this together mind chaps!

Would you not agree that some day to day experience of being a passenger on "his" railways might help? Would that experience also not offer an insight into what both Network Rail & T/FOCS have to deal with.

Would you also not agree that even for PR purposes being seen as the Railways Minister to actually use the train might be a good thing? I dont know, it might suggests an interest in learning how the system works for millions of people every day.

However, I am sure you can get this from a speeding car on the A12

 

[38Cto15E]

crewmeal has hit the nail on the head, politicians as a whole are in it for themselves.
In this case if it is a GA from Liverpool St or a decent chauffeur driven car from the office, just bring the Red case, nobody knows if there is anything in it.

The PM arrived in Derby on Friday, suited and booted, when on TV news later, Jacket off, Tie off, sleeves rolled up, just like Malcolm Tucker would have suggested in "The Thick Of It"............ You MUST watch that programme, so funny.

 

[DarloRich]

Point of order the Rail Minister doesn't pay the 80K a year to have a chauffeur driven car - We as tax payers do.

So one ministers exclusive transport per year is worth 2 and a bit nurses per year

 

[Tim R-T-C]

So we pay that because ministers cannot be trusted with red boxes.

TBH unless you are minister of defence or similar then the contents of the box are no more private than what thousands of other businessmen carry on their train commute each day.

 

[DarloRich]

So we pay that because ministers cannot be trusted with red boxes.

TBH unless you are minister of defence or similar then the contents of the box are no more private than what thousands of other businessmen carry on their train commute each day.

My point exactly. Is he carrying the nuclear launch codes about? No one would recognise him anyway without a red box so he should be safe on the train. I would even happily let him in first class as we would still save at least 70k a year on the cost of the car!

 

[Searle]

how nice to see all the other ministers using public transport though eh!

- ewf, fafsadfa, 6/1/2013 0:25

My comment getting 110 green arrows on the daily mail website hock:

 

[DarloRich]

My comment getting 110 green arrows on the daily mail website hock:

As I have said I would make almost all of them get public transport where possible. They can get a season ticket loan form their employer and pay for the ticket out of their wages. Austerity Britain seemingly doesn't extended to Members of Parliament though.

 

[gazthomas]

Red boxes is a bit Victorian. Printing documents? Why on earth aren't they using super encrypted laptops, or more over tablets connected via a VPN. That would solve most problems?

 

[Seacook]

So we pay that because ministers cannot be trusted with red boxes.

TBH unless you are minister of defence or similar then the contents of the box are no more private than what thousands of other businessmen carry on their train commute each day.

This is the twenty first century. Why are ministers still provided with boxes of papers? Electronic documents would be easier to distribute and much more secure.

But then ministers would have to make their own travel arrangements.

 

[TheKeymeister]

As I have said Ii would make almost all of them get public transport where possible. They can get a season ticket loan form their employer and pay for the ticket out of their wages. Austerity Britain seemingly doesn't extended to Members of Parliament though.

Season ticket loans just like normal people? That'd be the day !

Anyone to do with government seems to want to have everything up to and incuding having their arse wiped for them by the taxpayer because "why should they have pay for it themselves"

Never mind that everyone else has to pay for their own transport, sometimes another place to stay while working in the capital, etc....they're obviously heavily inconvenienced by this, and even though they get paid probably twice as much as 'normal' people who have to do the same, and they could quite obviously afford it, they should have it paid for by us...

Enough of us have accepted new terms of employment that put us worse off due to this "current climate", so if we're all in it together then extend it to them as well. If they don't like it, there's plenty of unemployed who I'm sure would take their jobs, just like the rest of us are told....

I'll stand down there, it's been a long time since I've had a political-themed rant lol

 

[Seacook]

Red boxes is a bit Victorian. Printing documents? Why on earth aren't they using super encrypted laptops, or more over tablets connected via a VPN. That would solve most problems?

You beat me to it while I was typing my comment.

 

[Goatboy]

crewmeal has hit the nail on the head, politicians as a whole are in it for themselves.

One therefore presumes that you go to work not for yourself but purely for others, given such a comment?

I don't think its particularly outrageous that the top level members of the government of one of the worlds largest economies are driven around. Heck in most other countries they get flown about on private jets!

 

[Goatboy]

He is the Minister of State for Transport - not just railways. If he went everywhere by train perhaps people on road forums would complain that the he should use roads for going to work like they all need to...

 

[ainsworth74]

Red boxes is a bit Victorian. Printing documents? Why on earth aren't they using super encrypted laptops, or more over tablets connected via a VPN. That would solve most problems?

This is the twenty first century. Why are ministers still provided with boxes of papers? Electronic documents would be easier to distribute and much more secure.

The same reason that I still read printed books, printed newspaper, printed magazines and the same reason that I used to print out journal articles and other electronic sources of information? I far prefer to read from paper than an screen whenever it's practical to do so.

Now perhaps printing should be an opt-in with documents otherwise provided electronically as standard but I'd hesitate (were I in a position to do anything about it! ) to move everything and everyone away from paper.

 

[crewmeal]

Not wishing to hijack the thread, but red dispatch boxes go back hundreds of years. It's part of the parliamentary heritage. However times have moved on and in this era of fraud theft of all sorts, why don't politicians just have ordinary brief cases? Answer? They like people to know who they are and feel important.

 

[VauxhallandI]

The Governor of the Bank of England travels by train with sensitive information. So why can't this chap?

 

[DiscoStu]

Do they actually carry red briefcases though? or is that just the name they use for confidential documentation?

 

[badger1badger]

I know!! They descibe a Toyota Avensis as a limo!! It's hardly a 7 series or an S class!!

Remember 2 jags !! Now that would be a waste of money !

 

[DDB]

Remember 2 jags !! Now that would be a waste of money !

Except he didn't have two jags. He had one jag. He was made deputy Prime Minister. He was obliged to travel with his red boxes in a Government car. That happened to be a jag. Ministers have no job security so kept his personal car as well as having access to a "company car"

Being a minister is not like an ordinary job If a business man left a brief case on a train and someone found it they would probably hand it in to lost property. Do a quick google for "top secret left on train" to see what happens if a politician or civil servant loses something on a train. It gets handed(sold) to a newspaper and their head is demanded over this lost "top secret" information (even though it never is top secret).

They also get followed by journalists who go through park bins looking for things they have thrown away.

I can therefore see why ministers papers regardless of what they are about shouldn't be read on a train. What PR would Branson get out of franchise bid documents being seen over a Minister's shoulder?

Given the red boxes are going by car there is plenty of room for the minister as well.

DDB