THE Government is considering the introduction of mileage rates for bicycling MPs - and the Labour Member who suggested it wants the private sector to follow the example. Anne Campbell, MP for Cambridge, has gone as far as suggesting that employees who run 'company bicycles' should be reimbursed at the same rate as car users - providing a real incentive to use pedal rather than petrol power.

The cycling enthusiast clocks up about 2,500 miles a year on average - which would qualify her for a third off any benefit in kind tax if she ran a car. In a Parliamentary Question directed to Leader of the House Ann Taylor, Campbell asked how far the Government had got with her proposals and whether a wider debate on members' travel allowances would be helpful. She is suggesting a token payment of 5p for every mile of constituency business covered by bike compared with the 43p per mile paid to MPs who use their cars.

Cambridge County Council pays a rate of 6.1p per mile for council business conducted by bike and a number of the city's employers pay similar rates.