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Departmental Pay

Volume 497: debated on Wednesday 14 October 2009

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department and its predecessors; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years. (290567)

You will be aware that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has only recently been created (6 June 2009) by merging the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). BIS is still in the early stages of setting up its own systems and policies so I have provided you with the information you have requested based on the rewards paid by the former BERR and DIUS.

Ex-BERR and ex-DIUS has two common bonuses, while ex-BERR has three. Both Departments awards:

1. Non-consolidated performance pay and non-pay reward to recognise performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award. This award is open to all staff.

2. Annual Performance Awards paid to Highly Successful performance as part of the annual pay award.

3. In addition, BERR also awards Team Triumphs—Team Triumphs is an awards ceremony designed to recognise the achievements of teams in the Department. Any team can be nominated providing it has at least two members. Cost of this scheme comes out of non-consolidated performance pay and non-pay rewards pot.

The following tables show the number of staff receiving the awards, and the cost of the scheme.

Financial year1Non-consolidated performance pay2 (includes non-pay reward and Team Triumph)Performance awards

Number of staff receiving

Total value (£)

Number of staff receiving

Total value3 (£)

2008-09

1,218

586,631

2,930

2,240,592

2007-08

1,238

693,386

3,86

42,265,502

2006-07

919

491,669

1,286

2,532,180

2005-06

1,237

521,902

1,257

1,808,630

2004-05

1,261

498,592

1,274

1,563,180

1 Financial year running from 1 April to 31 March. 2 The non-consolidated performance pay and performance awards for non-SCS staff are paid on a non-consolidated, non-pensionable basis and do not increase the Department's paybill costs each year. For the SCS the Senior Salaries Review Body determines the level of expenditure to cover bonuses. 3 The total figure includes SCS staffs. 4 Includes staff who were transferred from DTI to DIUS as part of the June 2007 machinery of government changes as these staff received a DTI/BERR pay award in 2007. Does not include those staff transferred into BERR from Cabinet Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government as part of the June 2007 machinery of government changes as these staff received Cabinet Office and DCLG pay awards respectively in 2007. Note: In 2007-08 the total value of bonuses paid was approximately 1.5 per cent. of the total Department's paybill.

Table for DIUS

Financial year

Non-consolidated performance pay

Performance awards

Number of staff receiving

Total value (£)

Number of staff receiving

Total value (£)

2007-08

273

21,125

10

10

2008-09

201

13,855

216

459,615

1 The performance awards for 2007-08 was paid by both former Departments.