Tuesday 22 July 2008

Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):  

To ask the Leader of the House, what redundancy package is available for hon. Members' staff; what the reasons are for its provisions; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman:

Members' staff contracts specify that individuals who are made redundant qualify for payment in accordance with the statutory requirement, an amount which is based on age and length of service. Such payments are subject to a minimum of two years continuous employment. 

In addition to the basic contractual entitlement, Members have the discretion to make a matching redundancy payment to staff from their Staffing Allowance or from the Winding Up Allowance made available to them on leaving the House. 

For Members who leave at a General Election, or who stand down at other times, any contractual redundancy payment is charged to central funds and not Parliamentary allowances.

Members who choose to restructure their offices during a Parliament and in the process make staff redundant, must fund redundancy payments from their Parliamentary allowances.

These arrangements were approved by the Members Estimate Committee after discussion by the Advisory Panel on Members' Allowances.