Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 371: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the amount paid in bonuses to anyone under the jurisdiction of her Department for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37363/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Civil service posts at the levels of Assistant Secretary and Deputy Secretary are covered by a scheme of performance related awards. Recommendations in relation to awards are made by the Secretary General of each department and the operation of the scheme is overseen by the Committee for Performance Awards. The funding for awards is based on 10% of the payroll for the posts covered by the scheme. Within this overall limit, payments of up to 20% can be made to individuals. Details of the procedures, the numbers covered by the scheme, the range of awards and the total amounts paid in Departments are outlined in the annual reports of the Committee (available on the website www.finance.gov.ie). The Committee does not identify the amount paid to individuals as this is regarded as personal information.

In addition, there is a scheme for Recognition of Exceptional Performance by Staff which operates across the Civil Service. This scheme has been in operation since 1996 and allows Secretaries-General to make awards for sustained exceptional performance to staff. Awards may be made in respect of performance above the level which would reasonably be expected in the normal course from the grade of staff involved. All staff in the Department, irrespective of grade, can nominate another staff member or a team for an award, at any time during the year.

The total expenditure on the scheme, which in my Department is called the Fiúntas scheme, may not exceed 0.2% of payroll costs. Expenditure on the scheme, including any tax and PRSI liability covered by the Department's pay budget was €425,420 in 2006, €324,690 in 2007 and €110,510 to date in 2008.

The State Agencies currently operating under the aegis of the Department are the Pensions Board, the Citizens Information Board, the Family Support Agency and the Combat Poverty Agency. Schemes of performance-related pay can apply to the Chief Executive Officers of non-commercial State sponsored bodies. The Chief Executive Officers of the Agencies outlined above are eligible to be considered for a performance related bonus payment of up to a maximum of 20% of basic salary. Decisions regarding the level of payments to be awarded in individual cases are the responsibility of the Board of the body concerned.