To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in her Department in the last three years; and at what total cost. (146993)

The numbers of non-pensionable bonuses for each of the last three years and the costs of these are tabulated as follows. These figures refer to bonuses paid under the terms of the annual pay settlements for staff working in the Department and its predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Bonuses are paid to staff who exceed against their objectives for the year.

The Department also operates a Special Bonus Scheme to reward exceptional performance over a limited period in particularly demanding tasks or situations, but records are not available to show the number of payments made under this scheme.

In recent years the proportion of senior civil service pay which is linked to performance has been increased.