To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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 work force 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. (165278)

The table presents the number of staff receiving bonuses, the proportion of staff receiving bonuses (as a percentage), the total amount of bonuses paid and the largest single payment made in each year since 2004-05. Information for 2007-08 is not yet available.

The Department changed its payroll provider in 2003-04. Information on performance bonus payments prior to 2004-05 is only available from individual payslips. To retrieve information for years prior to 2004-05 would therefore incur disproportionate cost.