Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2024 to Question 9824 on Northern Ireland Office: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in his Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office has not spent any money on new furniture and fittings, or other refurbishment of Ministerial offices between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what was the total value of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working for his Department as performance-related bonuses in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.
Answered by Steve Baker
The total of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working for the Northern Ireland Office as performance-related bonuses in the years (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22 are outlined below:
Year | Total Value |
January 2017 - February 2018 | £6,290 |
April 2018 - March 2019 | £11,250 |
March 2019 - February 2020 | £22,310 |
April 2020 - February 2021 | £12,355 |
April 2021 - March 2022 | £12,710 |
Bonuses paid out as non-cash vouchers is a standard practice across Government. The Edenred contract came into effect in 2017 which allows department access to non-cash vouchers for staff.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2022 to Question 77348, how many special advisers working in his Department had their employment terminated after their appointing Minister ceased to hold office between 29 June and 9 November 2022.
Answered by Steve Baker
In line with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and the Model Contract for Special Advisers, a Special Adviser’s appointment automatically terminates following a change of Administration; when their appointing Minister leaves office; or in the event of a General Election. Under these circumstances, Special Advisers are contractually entitled to a severance payment.
The contract sets out that Special Advisers who are later re-appointed to Government must repay their severance pay, less the amount of salary that they would have been paid had they been employed during the period between their termination and their re-appointment.
The contracts of all Special Advisers in the Northern Ireland Office were automatically terminated on the change of Administration.
The contract also sets out that Special Advisers are entitled to receive three months’ pay if termination occurs at any time during the first year of service, with an additional month’s pay for each completed year of service after the first year, subject to an overall maximum of six months’ pay. Where individuals were immediately re-appointed, severance was not payable.
Information on Special Adviser numbers and costs, including pay bands, is published annually in the Annual Report on Special Advisers as per the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.
Answered by Steve Baker
The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.
Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on how many occasions the provision of mandatory training for his Departmental staff regarding their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 has been cited by his Department as a defence against Section 109 proceedings since the commencement of that Act.
Answered by Steve Baker
The Northern Ireland Office has on no occasion cited the provision of mandatory training as a defence against Section 109 proceedings since the commencement of the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against his Department's budget as of 31 March 2022.
Answered by Conor Burns
As of 31 March 2022, there were 6 live Government Procurement Card accounts that could be used to make purchases against the Northern Ireland Office’s budget.