Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Ministers have had legal costs relating to inquiries by the House of Commons Privileges Committee funded by taxpayer money since 2010; and how much taxpayer money was used in each case.

Until the current matter referred to the Privileges Committee on 21 April 2022, since 2010 no Ministers have been the subject of an inquiry by either the Committee of Privileges or the Committee on Standards and Privileges relating to a matter of privilege and their conduct as a minister.

There is an established precedent across multiple administrations that former Ministers may be supported with legal representation after they have left office when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister.