Room 405
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
70 Whitehall
www.cabinet office.gov.uk
London, SW1A 2AS
ALEX HEASMAN-BAILEY
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
FOI Reference:FOI327433
06/02/2019
Dear ALEX HEASMAN-BAILEY
I refer to your request where you asked:
‘Dear Cabinet Office,
The Rt Hon. Nick Clegg has been able to claim Public Duty Cost al owance as former
Deputy Prime Minister since 9 May 2015 and wil be able to claim this al owance for five
years.
Since October 2018, Nick Clegg has been appointed 'Vice President for Global Affairs
and Communications at Facebook'. In addition, as part of his new employment with
Facebook, he is reported to take long-term residence in Silicon Val ey, California.
Therefore, I request the fol owing information:
1) Has Nick Clegg claimed any Public Duty Cost Allowance; since his announced
employment with Facebook; from October 2018 onwards (up to and including 8th
January 2019)?
If claims have been made:
2) How much has been claimed by Nick Clegg since October 2018?
Furthermore, the Cabinet Office stated in a response to a FOI request on the
26/10/2017:
“The Public Duty Cost Allowance was extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister,
the Rt Hon. Nick Clegg, for the period of five years from 9 May 2015, to be reviewed
annual y.” (FOI Ref: FOI325217)
Therefore, I also request the fol owing information:
3) Has an annual review of the extension of the Public Duty Cost Allowance to former
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg taken place since his announced employment at
Facebook?
If a review has taken place:
4) A copy of the annual review for this extension (either in ful or partial y redacted for
public use.)
5) Has the review considered his Facebook employment and his probable significantly
high salary as a factor in this review?
If a review has not yet taken place:
6) The date of which a review for this extension wil next occur.
7) Whether the cabinet office wil consider his Facebook employment in a review of his
Public Duty Cost Allowance.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Heasman-Bailey’
I am writing to advise you that fol owing a search of our paper and electronic records, I
have established that the information you requested is held by the Cabinet Office.
Former PMs contribute to public life in many ways after they leave office. As wel as
undertaking charitable works and speaking engagements, they handle high volumes of
correspondence from members of the public and are engaged regularly on matters of
government policy in a wide variety of fora. The PDCA is a simple reimbursement of
office expenses designed to offset the costs arising from these unpaid public duties.
The maximum amount payable is £115,000 and this is set with reference to the annual
Parliamentary Staffing Allowance al ocated to Members of
Parliament under the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA)
al owances regime.
Published guidance on the PDCA, Assistance to Former Prime Ministers, sets out the
basis for the reimbursement of bil s and staff costs. As the financial controls applied to
PDCA claims are the same as for other al owances and expenses, there is no specific
supplementary guidance relating to PDCA payments used by internal Cabinet Office
staff. Cabinet Office Finance review the claims (which are general y submitted via an
invoice) and if, on the basis of the information provided, they are satisfied that the claim
meets the terms of the al owance, a payment is made. If questions arise these are
directed to the relevant Office and payment may be withheld until a satisfactory
response has been received.
As with any other Cabinet Office financial transaction, supporting documentation
is subject to inspection by the Government Internal Audit
Agency and the National Audit Office. The amount paid to each former Prime Minister
is disclosed each year in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.
On 19 October 2018, The Rt Hon. Nick Clegg notified the Cabinet Office of his intention
to relinquish his Public Duty Costs Allowance, confirming his decision to take up a ful
time role in the commercial sector and the closure of his private office from end of
December. The Rt Hon. Nick Clegg confirmed that no further claim wil be made for
expenses incurred after December 2018
Information you have requested is being withheld as it is exempt under section 22(1) of
the Freedom of Information Act. Section 22(1) protects information intended for future
publication. Section 22 is a qualified exemption and I have considered whether the
balance of the public interest favours maintaining the exemption in section 22(1) or
disclosing the information.
The specific amounts claimed by the Rt Hon. Nick Clegg’s office and paid by the
Cabinet Office in accordance with PDCA are published in the Annual Reports and
Accounts each year and wil be published in due course.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request or wish
to request an internal review, you should write to:
Eirian Walsh Atkins
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
email: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
You should note that the Cabinet Office wil not normal y accept an application for
internal review if it is received more than two months after the date that the reply was
issued.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may apply directly to
the Information Commissioner for a decision. General y, the Commissioner cannot
make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by
Cabinet Office. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely
FOI Team
Cabinet Office