To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department and its agencies spent on end-of-year bonus payments in each of the last five years. (171541)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) paid the following amounts in bonuses to staff in the last five years.

The FCO uses non-consolidated, non-pensionable, performance-related bonuses to encourage high performance. We pay annual bonuses to staff in the delegated grades (all except senior managers) based on appraisal evidence of annual performance. The highest individual bonus for these grades is £1,850 in 2007.

Bonus arrangements for staff in the senior management structure (SMS/senior civil service equivalent) follow a framework set for Whitehall Departments by the Cabinet Office. We use SMS bonuses to reward excellent performance and achievement during the year. The bonuses are based on a judgment by pay committees of what an individual has achieved in comparison with peers. Those who have delivered the best results, and shown real leadership in doing so, receive the biggest bonuses. Those who have delivered least receive nothing. Whitehall Departments were authorised to spend a sum equivalent to 7.6 per cent. of their SMS pay budget on non-consolidated bonuses for senior staff in 2007.