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I have been asked to reply.The public duties cost allowance which is administered by the Cabinet Office, is paid in respect of office and secretarial expenses incurred by former Prime Ministers in connection with their public duties. All claims must be supported by documentary evidence. The allowance is not payable if the former Prime Minister is occupying the position of Leader of the Opposition. The allowance is linked to the ceiling of the centralised arrangements for payment of staff and secretarial support for MPs with London constituencies.Information on payments before the 1997-98 financial year is obtainable only at disproportionate cost. The total amount reimbursed each year, on a cash basis, on the public duties costs allowance is:<Table width="100%" summary="" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" border="0"><TR><TD></TD><TD>Maximum allowance which can be claimed by each former Prime Minister (£)</TD><TD>Total claimed by former Prime Ministers (£)</TD></TR><TR><TD>1997-98</TD><TD>47,568</TD><TD>171,827</TD></TR><TR><TD>1998-99</TD><TD>49,232</TD><TD>175,402</TD></TR><TR><TD>1999-2000</TD><TD>50,264</TD><TD>171,984</TD></TR><TR><TD>2000-01</TD><TD>51,572</TD><TD>167,955</TD></TR><TR><TD>2001-02</TD><TD>52,760</TD><TD>186,922</TD></TR><TR><TD>2002-03</TD><TD>72,310</TD><TD>278,615</TD></TR><TR><TD>2003-04</TD><TD>74,985</TD><TD>235,809</TD></TR><TR><TD>2004-05</TD><TD>77,534</TD><TD>274,794</TD></TR><TR><TD>2005-06</TD><TD>84,081</TD><TD>294,546</TD></TR><TR><TD>2006-07</TD><TD>87,276</TD><TD>244,638</TD></TR><TR><TD>2007-08</TD><TD>90,505</TD><TD>174,551</TD></TR><TR><TD>2008-09</TD><TD>100,205</TD><TD>190,888</TD></TR></Table> |