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Outgoing Assembly Members have pocketed farewell “golden handshake” pay-outs totalling more than £845,000 since the Senedd elections last May, exclusive new figures reveal.

A staggering £845,179 was handed out to politicians who stood down or failed to be re-elected to the National Assembly at last year’s elections.

The payments, known as resettlement grants, are given to Assembly Members upon vacating their Senedd seats.

They make up part of a generous remuneration package awarded to our elected representatives on top of their substantial pension pots and comfortable salaries.

Among the pay-outs made to 22 outgoing AMs, Conservative member Alun Cairns accepted almost £30,000 – despite continuing to work as an MP in Westminster.

While Liberal Democrat AM Mick Bates – who was found guilty of three counts of assault by beating in 2010 – took home the comfortable sum of £43,813.

Furious campaigners last night criticised the use of taxpayers’ money to fund the farewell pay-outs and called on the practice to be immediately scrapped.

Emma Boon, campaign director at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “The vast sums of money will be frustrating for taxpayers.

“Welsh Assembly Members should be aware that they are entering a contract with a fixed term – if they’re voted out it’s the end of their contract, not a redundancy.

“Welsh Assembly Members who stand down voluntarily or retire should not be entitled to these payments – those retiring already get a pension.”

Details of our outgoing Assembly Members’ resettlement grants were uncovered following a Freedom of Information request made by the Western Mail.

Of the 22 Assembly Members who received resettlement pay-outs last year, eight failed to be re-elected and the remaining 14 chose to stand down.

Nick Bourne, the former Welsh Conservative leader and Mid and West Wales Assembly Member, received the highest resettlement pay-out of £51,415.

Former Labour Assembly Members Andrew Davies and Brian Gibbons both received £51,270 after they stood down from their respective seats for Swansea West and Aberavon.

Ex-First Minister Rhodri Morgan, who stood down at the last election, received £46,864 after 12 years in the Senedd.

And four female politicians – Nerys Evans, Irene James, Trish Law and Veronica German – each took home the joint lowest amount of the bunch at £26,926.

In comparison, most Westminster MPs, who get a £65,738 annual wage, would receive a resettlement payment of about £32,869, calculated as one month’s salary for each completed year of service, subject to a maximum payment equal to six months’ salary.

Most Assembly Members also receive an annual salary of £53,852, but the wage is increased for those who hold greater positions of responsibility, such as heading committees or holding ministerial positions.

AMs also receive generous pensions, approximately between £12,924 and £16,155 for those who have been elected representatives since the Senedd’s creation in 1999.

Mr Cairns received a resettlement grant of £29,968 after he stood down from his South Wales West regional AM seat following 12 years at the Assembly.

But in the 2010 General Election, he was elected as MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, taking the seat from Labour.

He didn’t resign from the Assembly and remained an AM, despite rarely being seen at the Senedd since going to Westminster.

Mr Cairns still accepted the resettlement grant, which is aimed at providing politicians who retire or are defeated with a financial cushion when they lose their income.

Speaking about Mr Cairns’ resettlement payout, Ms Boon said: “It is disgraceful that Alun Cairns has received this lump sum when he continues as an MP in Westminster. These resettlement grants should be scrapped.”

Ms Boon added that there was a lack of transparency over the amounts of resettlement grants given to each specific politician across the UK.

Responding to the criticisms, Mr Cairns, whose salary as an MP is higher than what he used to earn as an AM, said: “Unlike other politicians who switch between Westminster and Cardiff Bay, I only took one salary and in accepting the settlement grant, I followed the precedent set by Rhodri Morgan, Dafydd Wigley and others.”

The Western Mail was last night unable to get in touch with Mr Bates.