Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and North Perthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the compliance of the blog post entitled Two hands are a lot, published by Dominic Cummings on 2 January 2020, with paragraphs (a) 5, (b) 6 and (c)14 of his Department's December 2016 Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
I refer the Hon member to the response which I gave to PQ1411 on 14 January 2020.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and North Perthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which office administers the public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers; and what checks are made to ensure that claims against that allowance meet its criteria.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
The Cabinet Office administers the Public Duty Cost Allowance. Claims are processed by the Cabinet Office’s finance function, and all claims are subject to audit as part of the annual audit of Cabinet Office expenditure, by both internal audit and the National Audit Office. Relevant supporting documentation and corroboration are made available to the Cabinet Office finance team who administer the payments.
The current limit for the PDCA is £115,000. The limit is reviewed on an annual basis.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and North Perthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the limit is of the public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers; and when that limit will next be reviewed.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
The Cabinet Office administers the Public Duty Cost Allowance. Claims are processed by the Cabinet Office’s finance function, and all claims are subject to audit as part of the annual audit of Cabinet Office expenditure, by both internal audit and the National Audit Office. Relevant supporting documentation and corroboration are made available to the Cabinet Office finance team who administer the payments.
The current limit for the PDCA is £115,000. The limit is reviewed on an annual basis.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and North Perthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much in public duty costs allowance has been paid to each former Prime Minister in each year since 2010; what the limit is of the public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers; when that limit was last reviewed; whether the public duty costs allowance is payable in addition to their parliamentary allowances to former Prime Ministers who remain Members of Parliament; what audit is undertaken of claims made under the public duty costs allowance by former Prime Ministers; what checks are made to ensure that claims against the allowance meet the criteria for funding from the allowance; what guidance is provided to former Prime Ministers on claiming from the public duty costs allowance; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that guidance.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
The amounts paid in 2011-12 and 2012-13 are as follows:
2011/12 |
|
Gordon Brown | £114,998.17 |
Baroness Thatcher | £109,191.00 |
John Major | £115,000.00 |
Tony Blair | £115,000.00 |
2012/13 | |
John Major | £114,996.00 |
Gordon Brown | £100,315.68 |
Baroness Thatcher | £74,087.76 |
Tony Blair | £115,000.00 |
The current limit for the PDCA is £115,000. The limit is reviewed on an annual basis.
Former Prime Ministers will continue to receive the PDCA if they are a sitting MP, provided they are not serving as Leader of the Opposition.
Claims are processed by the Cabinet Office and form part of the annual audit of Cabinet Office expenditure.
All former Prime Ministers are provided with guidance on the PDCA. A copy of this has been placed in the Library of the House.