Their advantages examined. Parliamentary work relayed by several media outlets in recent days reveals an increase in spending by former Prime Ministers after their time at Matignon. In search of significant savings, the executive calls on former heads of government to make “efforts” on the costs of the advantages available to them, at the expense of the taxpayer. Michel Barnier's team confirmed to Le Parisien that discussions were underway to reduce certain support, but also a certain number of former members of the government.
According to this special budget report published on the website of the National Assembly by the deputy (LR) for Jura Marie-Christine Dalloz, eleven former Prime Ministers still alive, from Édith Cresson to Jean Castex, benefited in 2023 from services guaranteed to former heads of government framed by a decree taken in 2019. The text provides that they can have access “upon their request” to a private secretary for a period of ten years, and up to the age of 67 maximum as well as a vehicle and a driver, this time for an unlimited period.
Over the past year, these expenses at the expense of taxpayers have increased to 1.42 million euros, compared to 1.28 million euros in 2022, an increase of 11%, notes the document written by the special rapporteur at the finance committee, cited by Politico and Le Figaro.
Cazeneuve, Villepin and Raffarin are the biggest spenders
In detail, the heaviest expenses recorded last year were those of Bernard Cazeneuve (201,387 euros), Dominique de Villepin (197,534 euros) and Jean-Pierre Raffarin (167,467 euros): they were quantified for them alone at more than half a million euros in 2023, according to the report by Marie-Christine Dalloz. The former socialist Prime Minister, the most short-lived of all (at Matignon from December 2016 to May 2017), comes first in expenses spent, with more than 200,000 euros spent, a very large part of which is dedicated to personnel expenses.
Behind this leading trio, several other former heads of government also crossed the 100,000 euro mark: Manuel Valls, Édith Cresson, François Fillon and Édouard Balladur who stood at 142,599 euros, 154,730 euros and 103,749 euros respectively on the year 2023. The largest increase is signed by Manuel Valls: the former socialist achieved a jump of 259% between 2022 and 2023, with a cost increasing from 39,682 euros to 142,599 euros.
Others are less spendy, like Alain Juppé, who spent two years at Matignon under the presidency of Jacques Chirac and spent 83,546 euros in 2023, or even Jean-Marc Ayrault, at the head of the first government of François Hollande (81,272 euros). But the least spending ex-Prime Minister remains Jean Castex, still active as boss of the RATP, and his 3,607 euros.
Note that certain former Prime Ministers do not receive these fees, such as the President of the Constitutional Council Laurent Fabius or the Mayor of Le Havre Édouard Philippe, who already benefit from other advantages by virtue of the Prime Minister's public service and elected mandate. local of the second. The last two tenants of Matignon before Michel Barnier, Élisabeth Borne and Gabriel Attal, do not appear in the report for 2023 either, the first being in office that year while the second had never been in office before.
Outgoing Prime Ministers can also continue to receive compensation equivalent to that received in government for three months. Remuneration which currently amounts to 15,900 euros gross monthly. They are also entitled to police protection for life. The latter are not taken into account in Marie-Christine Dalloz's report.
The report also looks at the envelope paid for the expenses of former presidents still alive, a file that the government did not mention. According to the parliamentary report, 1.32 million euros were paid in 2023 for Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, who benefit from numerous advantages, including a dedicated office or the provision of premises paid for by the State. A sum which fell by 5.4% in one year.
