Mrs Beckett, whose department is responsible for reducing carbon emissions and air travel across government, has cost the taxpayer more than £100,000 on 110 flights in three years. Her department has not offset the carbon emissions from the flights.

Other than ministers with an overseas brief and Tony Blair, Mrs Beckett cost the taxpayer more in flights than any other minister.

She has made repeated public statements about the environmental dangers of air travel. In November 2004 she told a conference in Berlin: “I am advised that, by 2030, in the UK alone, emissions from aircraft could represent a quarter of our total contribution to global warming.” That year Mrs Beckett used the RAF’s VIP services to travel to Greece, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy at a cost of more than £51,000.

Opposition MPs are furious that RAF aircraft have been ordered to collect the Environment Secretary from her Derby South constituency, so that she does not have to travel to Northolt, where the Royal Flight is based.

A spokeswoman for Mrs Beckett said that the minister was often unable to travel the 100 miles because meetings in Brussels were held too early.

She said: “A full RAF flight costs less per person than if the Secretary of State and accompanying officials flew by commercial airline.

“All such flights require the approval of the department’s Permanent Secretary.”

The practice of “summoning” RAF aircraft to their local airports is common among ministers.

The Prime Minister’s plane has been summoned to Teesside airport, near his Sedgefield constituency, more than 30 times in three years. It also frequently drops him and his family after international trips, at a cost to the taxpayer of more than £500 each time.

This has angered environmentalists because it is the additional take-off and landings that use the most fuel.

This practice was also adopted by Geoff Hoon when he was Defence Secretary. He would regularly call on RAF aircraft to fly to East Midlands, near his Ashfield constituency.

Edward VIII established the King’s Flight in 1936. At first its use was restricted to the Royal Family but in 1995 it was merged with the RAF 32 Squadron in a cost-cutting measure. The squadron has two BAe four-engined aircraft and five HS125 twin-engined aircraft.

The Prime Minister usually flies in a BAe 146. It is listed as a “VIP plane” on the RAF website, is configured as a luxury corporate jet and has a top speed of 400mph. However, most of the fleet of BAe 146s are more than 20 years old, which will add further pressure for a “Blair Force One”.

Several are showing their age: plumes of white steam flow from the air-conditioning and, during the ascent, the engine noise makes conversation impossible. If the Prime Minister wants privacy he must sit behind a curtain.

Most ministerial flights use the BAe 125, which can carry seven passengers. The RAF website describes it as a twin-engine VIP aircraft with a range of 2,000 miles.

Some short flights take place in the Squirrel helicopter, the model used by the Metropolitan Police to patrol London. A second helicopter, the Puma, which can carry up to 20 people, is also used by some ministers.

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