Staff employed by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) on short-term contracts are paid under the same pay systems that apply to permanent staff in BERR. They are salaried workers and are not paid at an hourly rate.
The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform awards non-consolidated bonuses in two formats:
1. Special bonuses to recognise performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award.
2. Annual performance awards paid to highly successful performers as part of the annual pay award.
Based on the information available the total amount spent on annual performance awards in 2008-09 is £2,240,592. Information on special bonuses paid in 2008-09 is not yet available, however the maximum expenditure is 0.4 per cent. of pay bill, in 2007-08 this was approximately £693,386.
This figure includes staff who were transferred from BERR to DECC as part of the October 2008 Machinery of Government changes as these staff received a BERR pay award in 2008.