Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) covered more than 100,000 kilometers in his company car last year. The politician thus has the most annual kilometers among cabinet members in North Rhine-Westphalia, as can be seen from a response from the state government to a small query from the AfD parliamentary group. Laumann's Audi A8 had a total of 107,452 kilometers on the clock last year.
The then Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) comes second. By the time he left office at the end of October, he had not been able to surpass the Minister of Health's annual mileage. As head of government, Laschet had two cars available - which drove a total of 93,152 kilometers for him.
Economics Minister Andreas Pinkwart (FDP) comes in third place with 65,174 kilometers a year. Minister of Justice Peter Biesenbach (CDU) follows in fourth place with 61,998 kilometers.
As early as 2020, Laumann was the top kilometer among cabinet members with more than 100,000 kilometers. When asked, the NRW Ministry of Health explained that the longer distances were due, among other things, to the many appointments on site. A spokeswoman said that personal contact with people, institutions and associations was of particular importance to Laumann.
From the point of view of the Ministry of Health, it is difficult to compare the kilometers traveled by members of the government. The annual distance covered depends, for example, on whether the cabinet members "have a place of residence that is relatively central in the country," said the spokeswoman. Laumann had to commute around 160 kilometers between his home town of Hörstel-Riesenbeck and the Düsseldorf ministry.
School Minister Yvonne Gebauer (FDP) covered the fewest kilometers - namely 18,362 - last year. Finance Minister Lutz Lienenkamper (CDU) also drove comparatively little in his company car at 27,274 kilometers.
