Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2022 to Question 77348, how many special advisers working in his Department had their employment terminated after their appointing Minister ceased to hold office between 29 June and 9 November 2022.

In line with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and the Model Contract for Special Advisers, a Special Adviser’s appointment automatically terminates following a change of Administration; when their appointing Minister leaves office; or in the event of a General Election. Under these circumstances, Special Advisers are contractually entitled to a severance payment.

The contract sets out that Special Advisers who are later re-appointed to Government must repay their severance pay, less the amount of salary that they would have been paid had they been employed during the period between their termination and their re-appointment.

The contracts of all Special Advisers in the Northern Ireland Office were automatically terminated on the change of Administration.

The contract also sets out that Special Advisers are entitled to receive three months’ pay if termination occurs at any time during the first year of service, with an additional month’s pay for each completed year of service after the first year, subject to an overall maximum of six months’ pay. Where individuals were immediately re-appointed, severance was not payable.

Information on Special Adviser numbers and costs, including pay bands, is published annually in the Annual Report on Special Advisers as per the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.