---

Public Duty Costs Allowance

Answer

I have been asked to reply.The public duties cost allowance which is administered by the Cabinet Office, is paid in respect of office and secretarial expenses incurred by former Prime Ministers in connection with their public duties. All claims must be supported by documentary evidence. The allowance is not payable if the former Prime Minister is occupying the position of Leader of the Opposition. The allowance is linked to the ceiling of the centralised arrangements for payment of staff and secretarial support for MPs with London constituencies.Information on payments before the 1997-98 financial year is obtainable only at disproportionate cost. The total amount reimbursed each year, on a cash basis, on the public duties costs allowance is:

	Maximum allowance which can be claimed by each former Prime Minister (£)	Total claimed by former Prime Ministers (£)
1997-98	47,568	171,827
1998-99	49,232	175,402
1999-2000	50,264	171,984
2000-01	51,572	167,955
2001-02	52,760	186,922
2002-03	72,310	278,615
2003-04	74,985	235,809
2004-05	77,534	274,794
2005-06	84,081	294,546
2006-07	87,276	244,638
2007-08	90,505	174,551
2008-09	100,205	190,888

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

508 c1172-3W; 311224

Session

2009-10

Related items

Written Questions: Government Responses
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Written questions
House of Commons

Subjects

Allowances Former prime ministers Public duty costs allowance

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk