Skip to main content

Move to Scrap Cabinet "Generous Golden Goodbyes"

A cross-party move to scrap the deal whereby Cabinet Ministers can get 1/4 of their salary tax free every time they resign has been launched with the tabling of a motion in the House of Commons by John Hemming MP.

"The Government", he said, "is planning to cut redundancy payments made to people over 41 next year. In the mean time they have a scheme whereby a cabinet minister gets £18,000 tax free for resigning. This arises from an act of parliament passed in 1991. The end result for David Blunkett is that he got more cash for resigning than he would have got had he stayed in post."

"This situation is indefensible. Payments for loss of office should take into account how long the office has been held. If people are popping in and out of the revolving door that leads to the cabinet office then they should not get a generous golden goodbye every time they 'pass go'.

Mr Hemming has tabled an Early Day Motion with the support of Lib Dem and Conservative MPs that calls for this practise to end.

ENDS



EDM 1047 REDUNDANCY PAYMENTS

Hemming, John
That this House notes that the Government is considering cutting statutory redundancy payments to people aged over 41 years as a result of an EU directive; believes that it is more urgent that the Government reviews the redundancy payments due to Cabinet Ministers who could be entitled to a tax-free generous golden goodbye every three weeks; and calls on the Government to act to change the law so that the practice whereby it is possible for Cabinet Ministers to make more money by continually resigning than staying in post ceases, and equity between people within the Cabinet and in the country as a whole is introduced.

Comments

Bob Piper said…
That old Hemming-Tory pact... you just can't keep away from them can you?
John Hemming said…
Actually it is the offices on the top floor of Star Chamber Court in fact.

Popular posts from this blog

NHS reorganisation No 3,493,233

Followers of my blog will have seen the NHS question about how many reorganisations have we had. We've yet another. The number of PCTs (Primary Care Trusts) nationally is to halve. This means merging East and North. (and then probably HoB and south). It would be nice if people would stick with one structure. There is a quotation ( Which sadly does not appear to be a true quotation ) We trained hard . . . but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization. But has to have been originated by someone. The web link shown goes through the derivation which appears to be more linked to an anonymous British Soldier WW2 than any Roman or Greek General called by a name perming 2 out of (Gaius, Galus, Petronius and Arbiter). From the...