Ministry 'failing to set example' with raft of advice for drivers

Two booklets, a flow chart, a question and answer document and more than six forms have been drawn up to guide Ministry of Justice employees who need to drive in their roles.

Staff are also advised to keep four different pieces of departmental paperwork in their vehicle at all times, while training sessions have been drawn up for managers to make the whole system work.

Former Liberal Democrat official Mark Pack accused the department of "spectacularly failing" to set a good example as the Government calls on all parts of the public sector to cut bureaucracy.

He said other departments including the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Department for Transport and Department of Energy and Climate Change get by on less paperwork or tell staff to use "common sense".

Writing on Liberal Democrat Voice, Mr Pack added: "If one simple task that takes other departments only a few paragraphs has spawned such complexity at the MoJ, what else is being got wrong too?"

The Ministry of Justice is one of Whitehall's largest departments and faces cuts of 23 per cent by 2014 which could lead to the loss of about 14,000 jobs.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "The guidance for staff was only published on the department's intranet site to minimise costs. We are committed to cutting waste and inefficiency anywhere we find it."