Learning and Skills Council for England: Pay

Mr. Willetts
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent on (a) performance-related pay and (b) bonuses for Learning and Skills Council staff in each year since 1998-99.

Kevin Brennan
The Learning and Skills Council makes decisions about the payment of performance pay and bonuses. Geoff Russell, the council’s acting chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Havant with further information.

Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 8 December 2009:

In response to your parliamentary question regarding, how much has been spent on (a) performance-related pay and (b) bonuses for Learning and Skills Council staff in each year since 1998-99.

Please see below:

a) Performance Related Pay:

The LSC does not link base salary to performance, other than to withhold elements of the pay review from individuals who fail to meet the required standards. Salary increases are dependant on individual position within the relevant pay band and subject to Treasury guidance on pay remit.

b) Bonuses:

The LSC has made bonus payments since 2003. The figures below consist of the staff bonus scheme and the executive scheme for the most senior roles.

Any bonus payments for the staff scheme are made subject to organisational performance that is measured at the Corporate level. Any bonus payments for the executive scheme are directly linked to a range of measures that span Corporate, Group/Regional and Individual performance. For example, in the year ended 31 March 2009, the main bonus driver was that corporate and regional goals to deliver PSA targets were met or exceeded, despite the uncertainties created from the machinery of government changes. More on these achievements can be found in our annual report. This can be obtained at

http://www.lsc.gov.uk/aboutus/annualreport/annual report0809/

All bonuses are subject to affordability.

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|Bonus payment year|Number of employees who received a bonus|Total payments (£)|
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|2003              |4,536                                   |3,586,434         |
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|2004              |3,795                                   |3,340,823         |
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|2005              |3,964                                   |3,623,257         |
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|2006              |3,836                                   |4,520,612         |
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|2007              |2,947                                   |4,214,036         |
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|2008              |3,160                                   |4,652,723         |
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|2009              |3,106                                   |4,868,463         |
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