Lord (Matthew) Oakeshott, the Lib Dems’ treasury spoeksman in the House of Lords, has been busy in recent weeks – busy compiling figures from Parliamentary answers on the level of “non-consolidated performance pay” (bonuses to you and me) shared between 2,600 of the most senior officials working in Whitehall. And here’s what he’s found:
Lord Oakeshott’s research comes complete with his trademark pithy comment:
Top civil servants get a very good salary averaging £1,500 a week and an excellent index-linked pension. Why do they need £200 a week extra just to get out of bed in the morning – more than many pensioners?”
Here’s some of the media coverage:
Civil servants pocketing £26m in perks (Mirror)
Civil servants given bonuses ‘for getting out of bed’ (Telegraph)
Top civil servants pocket £26m in bonuses… funded by the taxpayer (Mail)
Civil servants’ £26m bonus row (Channel 4 News)
2 Comments
Reminds me of Yes, Prime Minister (again!):
Sir Arnold: “You should double the Outstanding Merit Awards. I trust people still get them?”
Sir Humphrey: “Oh yes, everybody!”
The real problem with a news story like this is that the word “senior” gets lost, and it feeds the prejudice of the right wing press who believe that every public employee is a over protected, under worked, shiny bum work shy lead shifter.
Perhaps we might add by of explanation that more junior civile servants only get any sort of a bonus if they are in the very tiny minority marked “exceptional” on their annual report. And for that they get a second peanut.