To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the criteria are for determining the bonus payable to the Director General of the Commercial Directorate of his Department. (162384)

[holding answer 12 November 2007]: The criteria for determining performance pay and bonuses for senior civil servants will be set out in the Department's pay strategy. The pay strategy is prepared following the publication of the Review Body on Senior Salaries (SSRB), whose terms of reference include the remuneration of senior civil servants, and the Government's response to it. The SSRB is usually published in February each year. The Director General of the Commercial Directorate will become eligible to be considered for a bonus for the first time in April 2008 under criteria set in the 2008 pay strategy.