Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that claims by former Prime Ministers and Deputy Prime Minister through the Public Duty Costs Allowance are not used to fund income-generating projects.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life. Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA was exceptionally extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg from 2015-2019. No other former Deputy Prime Ministers claim the allowance.
The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary administrative costs arising from their special position in public life for example managing an office (staffing and administration costs); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. The level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant office and salary costs. PDCA claims are also subject to an annual audit by the National Audit Office.
The Cabinet Office does not hold a comprehensive record of claims made against the PDCA going back to 1991 when the allowance was established. However, I would refer the noble Lord to a written answer provided to him on 6 December 2022 by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then Minister of State, (reference HL3763) which provides details of historical claims of PDCA.
Details of PDCA claims have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2013-14. The written answer referred to above includes details of claims up to the financial year 2021-22. Details of claims for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 are set out in Table 1 below, and can also be found in the relevant ARAs.
Table 1
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
The Rt Hon. Sir John Major | 115,000 | 115,000 |
The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair | 115,000 | 115,000 |
The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown | 114,627 | 114,788 |
The Rt Hon. Lord David Cameron | 108,312 | 68,546 |
The Rt Hon. Lady Theresa May | 113,422 | 113,475 |
The Rt Hon. Liz Truss | 23,310 | 101,332 |
The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson | - | 182,083 |
Total PDCA | 617,667 | 836,345 |
In relation to the data provided in Table 1, it should be noted that The Rt Hon Lord David Cameron stopped receiving the allowance when he was appointed the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 13 November 2023. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson was eligible to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance, however no claims were received in 2022 to 2023. Due to 2022 to 2023 being the first year of set up, the Cabinet Office has agreed to reimburse these costs in 2023 to 2024. All future office costs are to be claimed in-year with claims received by 31 March. 2022 to 2023 office costs amounted to £67,083.
Details of the financial year 2024/25 will be published in the next Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what they consider the public duties of former Prime Ministers to be in relation to the Public Duty Cost Allowance; and what plans they have to review the Public Duty Cost Allowance to increase transparency.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life. Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA was exceptionally extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg from 2015-2019. No other former Deputy Prime Ministers claim the allowance.
The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary administrative costs arising from their special position in public life for example managing an office (staffing and administration costs); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. The level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant office and salary costs. PDCA claims are also subject to an annual audit by the National Audit Office.
The Cabinet Office does not hold a comprehensive record of claims made against the PDCA going back to 1991 when the allowance was established. However, I would refer the noble Lord to a written answer provided to him on 6 December 2022 by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then Minister of State, (reference HL3763) which provides details of historical claims of PDCA.
Details of PDCA claims have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2013-14. The written answer referred to above includes details of claims up to the financial year 2021-22. Details of claims for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 are set out in Table 1 below, and can also be found in the relevant ARAs.
Table 1
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
The Rt Hon. Sir John Major | 115,000 | 115,000 |
The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair | 115,000 | 115,000 |
The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown | 114,627 | 114,788 |
The Rt Hon. Lord David Cameron | 108,312 | 68,546 |
The Rt Hon. Lady Theresa May | 113,422 | 113,475 |
The Rt Hon. Liz Truss | 23,310 | 101,332 |
The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson | - | 182,083 |
Total PDCA | 617,667 | 836,345 |
In relation to the data provided in Table 1, it should be noted that The Rt Hon Lord David Cameron stopped receiving the allowance when he was appointed the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 13 November 2023. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson was eligible to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance, however no claims were received in 2022 to 2023. Due to 2022 to 2023 being the first year of set up, the Cabinet Office has agreed to reimburse these costs in 2023 to 2024. All future office costs are to be claimed in-year with claims received by 31 March. 2022 to 2023 office costs amounted to £67,083.
Details of the financial year 2024/25 will be published in the next Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been paid through the Public Duty Costs Allowance since its inception to (1) each former Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, and (2) in total.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life. Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA was exceptionally extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg from 2015-2019. No other former Deputy Prime Ministers claim the allowance.
The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary administrative costs arising from their special position in public life for example managing an office (staffing and administration costs); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. The level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant office and salary costs. PDCA claims are also subject to an annual audit by the National Audit Office.
The Cabinet Office does not hold a comprehensive record of claims made against the PDCA going back to 1991 when the allowance was established. However, I would refer the noble Lord to a written answer provided to him on 6 December 2022 by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then Minister of State, (reference HL3763) which provides details of historical claims of PDCA.
Details of PDCA claims have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2013-14. The written answer referred to above includes details of claims up to the financial year 2021-22. Details of claims for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 are set out in Table 1 below, and can also be found in the relevant ARAs.
Table 1
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
The Rt Hon. Sir John Major | 115,000 | 115,000 |
The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair | 115,000 | 115,000 |
The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown | 114,627 | 114,788 |
The Rt Hon. Lord David Cameron | 108,312 | 68,546 |
The Rt Hon. Lady Theresa May | 113,422 | 113,475 |
The Rt Hon. Liz Truss | 23,310 | 101,332 |
The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson | - | 182,083 |
Total PDCA | 617,667 | 836,345 |
In relation to the data provided in Table 1, it should be noted that The Rt Hon Lord David Cameron stopped receiving the allowance when he was appointed the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 13 November 2023. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson was eligible to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance, however no claims were received in 2022 to 2023. Due to 2022 to 2023 being the first year of set up, the Cabinet Office has agreed to reimburse these costs in 2023 to 2024. All future office costs are to be claimed in-year with claims received by 31 March. 2022 to 2023 office costs amounted to £67,083.
Details of the financial year 2024/25 will be published in the next Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to scrutinise claims for Public Duty Costs Allowance.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life. Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA was exceptionally extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg from 2015-2019. No other former Deputy Prime Ministers claim the allowance.
The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary administrative costs arising from their special position in public life for example managing an office (staffing and administration costs); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. The level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant office and salary costs. PDCA claims are also subject to an annual audit by the National Audit Office.
The Cabinet Office does not hold a comprehensive record of claims made against the PDCA going back to 1991 when the allowance was established. However, I would refer the noble Lord to a written answer provided to him on 6 December 2022 by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then Minister of State, (reference HL3763) which provides details of historical claims of PDCA.
Details of PDCA claims have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2013-14. The written answer referred to above includes details of claims up to the financial year 2021-22. Details of claims for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 are set out in Table 1 below, and can also be found in the relevant ARAs.
Table 1
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
The Rt Hon. Sir John Major | 115,000 | 115,000 |
The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair | 115,000 | 115,000 |
The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown | 114,627 | 114,788 |
The Rt Hon. Lord David Cameron | 108,312 | 68,546 |
The Rt Hon. Lady Theresa May | 113,422 | 113,475 |
The Rt Hon. Liz Truss | 23,310 | 101,332 |
The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson | - | 182,083 |
Total PDCA | 617,667 | 836,345 |
In relation to the data provided in Table 1, it should be noted that The Rt Hon Lord David Cameron stopped receiving the allowance when he was appointed the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 13 November 2023. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson was eligible to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance, however no claims were received in 2022 to 2023. Due to 2022 to 2023 being the first year of set up, the Cabinet Office has agreed to reimburse these costs in 2023 to 2024. All future office costs are to be claimed in-year with claims received by 31 March. 2022 to 2023 office costs amounted to £67,083.
Details of the financial year 2024/25 will be published in the next Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 23 October 2023 (HL10740), how the National Audit Office, in assessing the use of the Public Costs Duty Allowance (PCDA) for audit purposes, distinguishes between the costs of paying staff, travel, and accommodation expenses, incurred (1) as a result of political and commercial projects, including political activity overseas, and (2) costs which arise wholly and exclusively as a result of being an ex-Prime Minister, excluding commercial or political activities; and what consideration they have given to publishing a summary of PCDA claims showing different categories of expenditure on a regular basis.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Audit Office is independent of the government.
Former Prime Ministers submit invoices to the Cabinet Office setting out their claims. This information is used by the Cabinet Office for auditing and assurance purposes and is made available to NAO.
Most of the claims are used to cover the salaries of the staff that work in the offices of the former Prime Ministers. These staff are not civil servants, and it would therefore not be appropriate for the Cabinet Office to publish any further detail.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to undertake a review of the Public Duty Costs Allowance.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) has a limit of £115,000 per year. The limit is reviewed annually and at the start of each Parliament; the government is currently in the process of reviewing the limit and will publish the outcome in due course.
There are no current plans to review the PDCA more widely.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether visits to the Republican Convention by former Prime Ministers could qualify for expenditure under the Public Duty Costs Allowance; and what further information they can provide on claims made under the scheme.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Public Duty Cost Allowance (PDCA) is not paid to support private duties, nor is it used for security purposes.
Further details about the PDCA are on gov.uk at the following web link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-duty-cost-allowance.
Annual payments are published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts. The most recent report is available on gov.uk at the following web link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-23.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 November 2022 (HL Deb, col 1170), whether they update the House on claims made as a result of the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA); when and how a review of the PDCA will take place; and how the National Audit Office is able to distinguish between the costs of paying staff, travel, and accommodation expenses etc. occurring as a result of them working on commercial projects such as memoirs, paid speaking engagements etc. and costs which arise wholly and exclusively as a result of being an ex-Prime Minister.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Public Duty Cost Allowance is specifically reviewed by the National Audit Office (NAO) as part of its annual audit of the Cabinet Office. The 2022-23 NAO audit review was completed in October 2023. The 2023-24 audit review will commence in May 2024.
The offices of the former Prime Ministers receive guidance which stipulates what type of expenses can be reimbursed by the Allowance. Claims, including those for office staff time, are then received by Cabinet Office Finance and include supporting evidence showing how much is related to the Allowance and how much is not.
I would note that the same audit provisions applied when former Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, claimed the Allowance.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Ministers have had legal costs relating to inquiries by the House of Commons Privileges Committee funded by taxpayer money since 2010; and how much taxpayer money was used in each case.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Until the current matter referred to the Privileges Committee on 21 April 2022, since 2010 no Ministers have been the subject of an inquiry by either the Committee of Privileges or the Committee on Standards and Privileges relating to a matter of privilege and their conduct as a minister.
There is an established precedent across multiple administrations that former Ministers may be supported with legal representation after they have left office when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for taxpayer funded legal costs for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in relation to his investigation by the House of Commons Privileges Committee to be set against any claims he should make from the Public Duty Costs Allowance.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
There are no such plans. There is an established precedent across multiple administrations that former Ministers may be supported with legal representation after they have left office when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister. The Public Duty Cost Allowance exists for a different purpose.
I refer the Noble Lord to the transcript of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, where Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, provided oral evidence on this matter: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12604/pdf/ (Q299-315).