Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 22 April (HL6565), how, if at all, the policy of salary transparency applies to transparency on (1) severance payments, and (2) cash equivalent transfer value pension amounts, with respect to (a) senior civil servants and (b) special advisers.

The government financial reporting manual (FReM) is the technical accounting guide for the preparation of financial statements. The FReM sets out a number of transparency requirements when it comes to severance payments and cash equivalent transfer values specifically, which are separate from the salary transparency requirements.

For severance payments, departments are broadly required to report the number and value of compensation payments made under the terms of any approved compensation schemes, as well as certain detail on any special severance payments made. The FReM also provides that information about the cash equivalent transfer values at the start and end of the report year must be disclosed in relation to directors, together with the real increases.