OXFORDSHIRE MPs claimed almost £30,000 in travel expenses during the last financial year - most of the money for car travel.

Figures released this week show for the first time how much MPs claim for car travel, car hire and taxis, rail, air, bicycle, or other transport.

In the 2005/6 financial year, Oxfordshire's six MPs claimed a total of £29,579 for travel - almost two thirds of this, £17,645, was claimed for car mileage.

MPs can claim 40p per mile for the first 10,000 miles driven on Parliamentary business and 25p for each mile after that.

Three MPs, Banbury's Tony Baldry, Witney's David Cameron and Dr Evan Harris who represents Oxford West and Abingdon, claimed for air travel. The total bill came to £957.

Wantage MP Ed Vaizey claimed £85 to cover the cost of his bus and tube fares in London. He was the only MP to make a claim, of £8, for cycling expenses.

With MPs permitted to claim 20p-per-mile, this suggests Mr Vaizey cycled 40 miles over the year.

According to the figures, Mr Cameron, who did not claim anything for his bicycle, received £1,094 for car hire and taxi fares - the 11th highest claim in the country in this category.

But the Tory leader's spokeswoman insisted Mr Cameron had not claimed for a single taxi ride.

She explained he had been forced to borrow a car for a few months when his was stolen in October 2005 and the mileage he claimed had been, to his dismay, logged under "car hire".

The spokeswoman added: "David claims as little as possible and he uses the train when he can."

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