§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his policy relating to monitoring severance payments made to council officials. [119859]
§ Ms Beverley HughesThe Local Government (Discretionary Payments)(Amendment) Regulations 1999 introduced provisions which require local authorities in England and Wales to formulate and publish a written statement of their policy in connection with the exercise of their discretion to pay compensation, including severance payments, under parts II, III and IV of the Local Government (Discretionary Payments) Regulations 1996.
The 1999 regulations require each employing authority to be satisfied that their policy is workable, affordable and reasonable having regard to the foreseeable costs. In that way, elected members have direct responsibility for the decisions taken within the terms of their published policy statement and are locally and legally accountable for them to local council taxpayers and to the District Auditor.
My Department does not monitor individual severance payments made by local authorities, nor would it be appropriate to intervene in the way such authorities exercise these statutory functions. We do, however, remain in close touch with the Audit Commission, the Employers' Organisation and other interested parties on the continuing effectiveness of these regulations.