Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a severance agreement is attached to the new role of Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.

Johnny Mercer MP was appointed as the first standalone UK Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 7 July in recognition of the seriousness with which this country takes supporting our veterans.

No budget is attached to the new role, but the Office for Veterans' Affairs has a budget this financial year of £10.3m. Severance payments for Ministers are a statutory entitlement under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991. Salary entitlements are set out in Schedule One of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs’ salary is not being drawn from the Office for Veterans' Affairs' budget.

Under current arrangements the Minister for Veterans' Affairs has been allocated one full-time Private Secretary.