Memorandum submitted by the Comptroller
and Auditor General
This Memorandum updates the Report by the Comptroller
and Auditor General (HC 25, June 2001) to include data from Royal
Household's 2000-01 accounts.
Page 14
Figure 5: Grant-aided expenditure on royal air
and rail travel, since April 1997
| |
1997-98 budget | 1997-98
actual
| 1998-99
actual
| 1999-2000 actual |
2000-01
actual |
| | £m
| £m | £m
| £m | £m
|
| Air travel | 17.2
| 15.9 | 11.7
| 7.5 | 4.5
|
| Rail travel | 1.9
| 1.2 | 0.8
| 0.8 | 0.6
|
| Administration and other costs | 0.3
| 0.2 | 0.3
| 0.3 | 0.3
|
| Total net expenditure charged to the grant-in-aid
| 19.4 | 17.3
| 12.8 | 8.6
| 5.4 |
Note 1: These figures include reimbursements,
repayments and bank interest, which have been deducted from expenditure.
Note 2: Charges by Ministry of Defence for use
of military helicopters for royal travel in Northern Ireland of
£74,000, £76,000 and £81,000 are included in air
travel expenditure for 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 shown above.
Source: Royal Household's annual reports.
Page 14
Figure 6: Miles travelled and cost per royal mile, since 1997
| | 1997-98 budget
| 1997-98
actual
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000
| 2000-01 |
| Air |
| Royal miles1 travelled | 390,158
| 390,158 | 355,945
| 368,261 | 244,248
|
| Expenditure per royal mile travelled | £43
| £41 | £33
| £20 | £18
|
| Rail |
| Royal miles1 travelled | 8,854
| 8,854 | 15,644
| 19,599 | 14,838
|
| Expenditure per royal mile travelled | £152
| £135 | £52
| £39 | £42
|
Note 1: Cost per royal mile travelled is the total
expenditure on air and rail travel by the Royal Family and Household
each financial year divided by the total air and rail miles travelled
by members of the Royal Family in that year.
Note 2: Miles travelled by air excludes the use
of military helicopters for royal travel in Northern Ireland.
Source: The Royal Household.
PAGE 16
Figure 7: Trends in air travel, 1996-97 to 2000-01
| Mode of travel | Flying hours Under the new arrangements
|
| 1996-97
| 1997-98 | 1998-99
| 1999-2000 | 2000-01
|
| BAe146 | 645
| 335 | 183
| 191 | 142
|
| BAe125 | 114
| 191 | 188
| 198 | 149
|
| Helicopters | 409
| 258 | 466
| 566 | 1475
|
| Total | 1168
| 784 | 837
| 955 | 766
|
| | Royal miles travelled
|
| Scheduled aircraft | Not available
| 156,067 | 151,194
| 118,953 | 101,981
|
| Chartered aircraft | Not available
| 77,443 | 72,928
| 82,437 | 45,547
|
Note 1: 1998-99 to 2000-01 helicopter flying hours
include the Household's helicopter, plus chartered helicopters.
Note 2: Helicopter flying hours exclude the use
of military helicopters for royal travel in Northern Ireland.
Source: The Royal Household.
PAGE 17
Figure 8: Fixed and variable charges to the Household for use
of 32 Squadron fixed-wing aircraft (amended layout)
| | 1997-98 budget
| 1997-98 actual |
1998-99 | 1999-2000
| 2000-015 | Reduction1
|
| | £m
| £m | £m
| £m | £m
| |
| Fixed charges2 | 9.2
| 9.4 | 38.5
| 3.8 | 11.8
| 59% |
| Variable charges4 | 2.6
| 0.9 | 0.5
| 0.4 | Y
| 85% |
| Total charges | 11.8
| 10.3 | 9.0
| 4.2 | 1.8
| 64% |
| UNIT CHARGES |
| BAe 146 |
| Fixed charge per planned hour | n/a
| £10,763 | £12,868
| £10,428 | 1£7,962
| 3% |
| Variable charge per actual hour | n/a
| £1,706 | £1,952
| £1,213 | Y
| 29% |
| BAe 125 |
| Fixed charge per planned hour | n/a
| £5,131 | 3£6,760
| £4,662 | 1£3,956
| 9% |
| Variable charge per actual hour | n/a
| £800 | £653
| £622 | Y
| 22% |
Note 1: The reductions in the final column for
total fixed charges and total variable charges are calculated
by comparing the 1999-2000 outturn with the 1997-98 budget, which
represents the best estimate of charges before the Household assumed
full responsibility for royal travel arrangements. Reductions
in the charges per planned and actual hour are calculated by comparing
the 1999-2000 outturn with 1997-98 actual expenditure. Due to
the change to a composite charge by the Ministry of Defence reductions
to 2000-01, compared with the 1997-98 budget, cannot be provided
on a fixed and variable basis.
Note 2: Fixed charges have been apportioned by
the Ministry of Defence on the basis of planned flying hours.
Note 3: 1997-98 fixed charges included an additional
one-off VAT charge of £200,000 which has been excluded from
the calculation of hourly rates, for the purposes of comparison.
Note 4: The variable charges total for each year
also includes handling, landing and subsistence charges which
are excluded from the hourly rates shown in the Figure.
Note 5: From 1 April 2000 the Ministry of Defence
charged an hourly composite rate, to cover both fixed and variable
costs.
Source: The Royal Household.
PAGE 17
Figure 9: Fixed-wing flying hours purchased and used, 1997-98
to 2000-01
| | 1997-98
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000
| 2000-01 | Total
|
| BAe146 |
| Hours planned | 799
| 545 | 250
| 180 | 1774
|
| Hours used | 335
| 183 | 191
| 142 | 851
|
| BAe125 |
| Hours planned | 109
| 215 | 250
| 100 | 674
|
| Hours used | 191
| 188 | 198
| 149 | 726
|
Percentage of planned hours
used (both aircraft types)
| 58 | 49
| 78 | 104
| 64 |
Source: The Royal Household.
PAGE 18
Figure 10: Scheduled and chartered flights, 1997-98 to 2000-01
| | 1997-98
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000
| 2000-01 |
| Chartered flights |
| Expenditure | £915,000
| £991,000 | £1,144,000
| £426,000 |
| Miles travelled | 77,443
| 72,928 | 82,437
| 45,547 |
| Scheduled flights |
| Expenditure | £473,000
| £370,000 | £304,000
| £263,000 |
| Miles travelled | 156,067
| 151,194 | 118,953
| 101,981 |
| Cost per mile | £3.03
| £2.45 | £2.55
| £2.58 |
| Total costs | £1,388,000
| £1,361,000 |
£1,448,000 | £689,000
|
Note: No cost per mile is computed for chartered
flights since the itinerary, size of aircraft and size of party
will depend on the nature of the visit, the programme for which
is determined by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Source: The National Audit Office.
PAGE 20
Figure 11: Trends in rail travel, 1997-98 to 2000-01
| | 1997-98 budget
| 1997-98
actual
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000
| 2000-01 |
| Expenditure | £1.9m
| £1.2m | £0.8m
| £0.8m | £0.62m
|
| Miles travelled | 12,500
| 8,854 | 15,644
| 19,599 | 14,838
|
| Cost per mile travelled | £152
| £135 | £52
| £39 | £42
|
| | Number of royal journeys
|
| Royal train | 32
| 19 | 16
| 24 | 17
|
| Other rail services | —
| 24 | 60
| 58 | 60
|
| Total | 32
| 43 | 76
| 82 | 77
|
| | Average miles per journey
|
| Royal train | 600
| 567 | 601
| 602 | 550
|
| Other rail services | —
| 111 | 169
| 168 | 149
|
Source: The Royal Household.
PAGE 21
Figure 12: Fixed and variable charges to the Household for
use of the royal train
| | 1997-98
budget
| 1997-98
actual
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000
| 2000-01 |
| | £
| £ | £
| £ | £
|
| Fixed charges | 995,000
| 824,000 | 506,000
| 366,000 | 312,000
|
| Variable charges | 861,000
| 330,000 | 273,000
| 364,000 | 284,000
|
| Total charges | 1,856,000
| 1,154,000 | 779,000
| 730,000 | 596,000
|
| Number of journeys | 32
| 19 | 16
| 24 | 17
|
| Average cost per journey | £58,000
| £60,737 | £48,687
| £30,417 | £35,059
|
| Average variable cost per journey | £26,906
| £17,368 | £17,063
| £15,167 | £16,706
|
Source: The Royal Household.
The Royal Family has used the Royal Train on 76 occasions
since 1997-98. In addition it was hired out on one occasion in
May 1998.
National Audit Office
January 2002
|
