Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what the cost to her Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment in that period; and how much each Minister received.

Details of ministerial severance payments are published in the HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts. These can be found here: Transparency andfreedom of information releases - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

I confirm that over the period 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024, the following payments were made:

The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Cox KC MP – £23,612 (February 2020)

The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC – £14,490 (August 2022)

Edward Timpson CBE KC – £14,490 (October 2022)

The Rt Hon Sir Michael Ellis KC – £23,612 (November 2022)

Information on any payments from 31 May 2024 will be released in due course.

All severance payments were made under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, which provides for severance payments to ministers who cease to hold office and are not re-appointed to government within three weeks. This reflects the lack of any notice period when ministers leave government.