To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement. (143119)

The figures for the Treasury for 2006-07 are set out in the following table. For the earlier years I refer to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 7 November 2006, Official Report, column 1039W. Bonuses are paid in two circumstances: performance bonuses are those linked to the annual staff appraisal system; special bonuses are those paid to recognise exceptional performance for specific contributions or pieces of work during the year or situations outside the normal expectations of the post.