2009 civilian bonus total to top £58m

Thursday, November 26, 2009

The total performance-related bonus pot for civil servants in the Ministry of Defence will top £58m this year, it has been revealed.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth revealed the figures in a written response to a Commons question.

The total bonus pot for junior staff was worth almost £50 million, while senior civil servants will share more than £1.6 million.

Also, more than £7 million has been put aside for "special bonus payments" to staff during 2009-10, bringing the 2009/10 total to £58,374,000. In early November it was revealed that around £47m had already been paid out in this financial year.

In the financial year 2008/09, the total bonus pot for civil servants amounted to £52,984,656.

The MoD said the majority of staff earn less than £20,000 a year and that bonuses would average around £700.

An MoD spokesman said: "It is long-established practice across government that elements of civil service pay are related to performance: this is mandatory across all government departments.

"This is not extra money. It is a proportion of the overall pay bill which happens to be performance related. This helps to incentivise staff and reward good performance."