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.

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.