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Written question asked by Emily Thornberry (Labour) on Monday, 18 July 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 July 2022. It was answered by Heather Wheeler (Conservative) on Friday, 22 July 2022 on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Special Advisers: Redundancy Pay

Question

To ask the Minister of the Cabinet Office, how many special advisers appointed by the Cabinet Office to assist the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks), are entitled to severance payments in financial year 2022-23 under the terms set out in Paragraph 14c of the model contract for special advisers; and what total costs will be incurred by his Department as a result.

Answer

Special advisers are employed by the department to which they were appointed to assist their minister, as such the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s special advisers are employed by HM Treasury; the administration of special advisers is however overseen by the Cabinet Office.

Under paragraph 14b of the Model Contract for Special Advisers, a special adviser’s employment is automatically terminated when their appointing minister ceases to hold the ministerial office to which they were appointed to assist them. Paragraph 14c of the Model Contract details the conditions that apply should a special adviser’s employment end, including eligibility for any severance payments. Paragraph 14c of the Model Contract also sets out that special advisers who are later re-appointed to government must repay their severance pay, less the amount of salary they would have been paid had they been employed during the period between their termination and their re-appointment.

These arrangements have been in place under successive administrations.

Pursuant to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and as part of the government’s policy on open data and transparency, the Cabinet Office routinely publishes an annual report on the numbers and costs of special advisers. The total cost of exit packages, including severance payments, for special advisers are published annually.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
38569
Session
2022-23
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Costs Redundancy pay Special advisers
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk