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25 Jan 2010 : Column 692W—continued
Debt Collection
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many certificated bailiffs have been struck off the HM Courts Service bailiff register in the last 36 months; and on what grounds such bailiffs may be struck off. [311958]
Bridget Prentice: Nine certificated bailiffs have been removed from the register in the years 2007 to 2009. Their certificates were cancelled either due to an upheld complaint or dismissal from their employer.
Cancellation of a bailiff's certificate may result from a complaint in Form 4 or 5 of the Distress for Rent Rules 1988 as to the bailiff's conduct or fitness to hold a certificate. Such a complaint is made to the court which issued the certificate.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the timetable is for the commencement of the provisions of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 relating to allowing a judgment creditor to apply for a charging order in circumstances in which a debtor is up to date with an instalment arrangement. [312045]
Bridget Prentice: In 2008, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor asked for a reassessment of the enforcement provisions within the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 to ensure that they remain appropriate. Following that review, the Government announced on 17 March 2009, Official Report, column 46WS, that they would not implement the provisions in Part 4 of the Act.
Debts: Credit Cards
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether HM Courts Service's evaluation of taking payments from debtors by credit card is now complete. [312071]
Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 11 January 2010, Official R eport, column 788W.
The national roll out of credit and debit card facilities is currently under consideration. The timetable for the introduction of these facilities has not yet been finalised. The evaluation report will be published during the spring.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many iPods have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost. [311905]
Mr. Wills: The Ministry of Justice's accounting systems do not separately identify any expenditure on iPods. It would incur disproportionate cost to examine invoices and Government Procurement Card statements held locally across the business to identify relevant costs.
All expenditure by the Ministry of Justice is undertaken in accordance with the principles of regularity, propriety and value for money contained in HM Treasury's 'Managing Public Money' and in pursuit of departmental aims and objectives. The purchase of iPods can therefore be expected to be highly exceptional. We are aware of 10 iPods being bought in this period as competition prizes awarded as incentives to maximise participation in the annual Staff Engagement Survey, a prison survey on fast track processes and to generate Local Criminal Justice Board nominations for Justice Awards, all competitions which play an important part in securing departmental objectives and for which it is desirable to secure as wide participation as possible.
Departmental Pay
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2008; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement. [300893]
Mr. Straw: Non-consolidated performance pay may be awarded either at the 'end of year' or 'in year'. For staff in grades below the senior civil service (SCS) the 'end of year' non-consolidated performance pay awards are made as part of the annual pay award to staff whose performance over the course of the year has been judged as outstanding/exceeded expectations under the relevant performance management system.
Awards of 'in year' non-consolidated performance payments are made to staff in recognition of specific contributions during the year over and above the contribution expected for someone in a particular role.
The following table provides details of both 'in year' and 'end of year' payments for staff in grades below the SCS.
| 2008 | Type of non-consolidated payment | Number of staff awarded payment | Percentage of the eligible staff receiving payment | Highest payment (£) | Total value of payments (£) |
| Note. Payments made to staff with the Probation Services are not included | |||||
During 2008 the Ministry awarded 159 senior civil servants non-consolidated performance related payments. This represented 65 per cent. of eligible staff. The total amount awarded was £1,648,000 and the largest award made was £25,000.
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each year since 2006. [306423]
Mr. Straw: Depending on their various terms and conditions, staff employed in the Ministry of Justice and its agencies may be eligible for (a) year end and (b) in year non-consolidated performance pay. Details are shown as follows:
Performance related pay is awarded to senior civil servants (SCS) in line with the recommendations made by the Senior Salaries Review Body. Non-consolidated performance related payments are made as part of the annual pay award to those whose performance has exceeded agreed delivery objectives during the previous performance year.
| Paid in calendar year | Number of SCS receiving a payment | Total amount paid (£) |
| Note: The 2007 figures refer to SCS members in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) only. | ||
Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS)
For staff in grades below the SCS (excluding the National Offender Management Service (NOMS)), non-consolidated performance pay may be awarded either at the 'end of year' or 'in year'. Awards of 'end of year' non-consolidated performance pay are made as part of the annual pay award to staff whose performance over the course of the year has been judged as outstanding under the Ministry's performance management system.
From 1 August 2007, common terms and conditions were introduced for staff in the Ministry of Justice excluding NOMS. The value of year end non-consolidated performance pay was increased to £1,200. Details are shown in the following table.
| Paid in financial year | Number of staff receiving a payment | Total amount paid (£) |
| Note: The 2006-07 figures refer to staff members in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) only, and exclude any payment to staff who joined from the Home Office in 2007 on the creation of the Ministry of Justice. | ||
Awards of 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay are given to recognise specific exceptional contributions during the year. The following table provides details:
| Paid in financial year | Number of staff receiving a payment | Total amount paid (£) |
| Note: The 2006-07 figures refer to staff members in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) only, and exclude any payment to staff who joined from the Home Office in 2007 on the creation of the Ministry of Justice. | ||
The increased amount paid from 2007 reflects that with effect from 1 August 2007, staff previously on magistrates courts terms and conditions and also those who joined from the various tribunals which became part of the Tribunals Service, became eligible for non-consolidated performance pay under the common terms and conditions introduced that year.
National Offender Management Service
Details for payments of 'year end' non-consolidated performance pay in the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 performance years for staff employed across HM Prison Service and the National Offender Management Service headquarters are shown in the following table:
| Performance year | Number of staff receiving a payment | Total amount paid (£) |
Information on the number of staff in grades below the SCS receiving 'in year' non-consolidated performance payments and the total amount paid across HM Prison Service and National Offender Management Service headquarters is contained in the following table.
| Paid in financial year | Number of staff receiving a payment | Total amount paid (£) |
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department has allocated for (a) year-end and (b) in-year bonuses for its staff in 2009-10. [307027]
Mr. Straw: Depending on their various terms and conditions, staff employed in the Ministry of Justice and its agencies may be eligible for (a) 'year end' and (b) 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay.
The Senior Salaries Review Body will provide recommendations on base pay and non-consolidated performance payments for members of the senior civil service (SCS) in 2009-10. No allocation is made in advance of their report. SCS Members are not eligible for 'in year' non-consolidated performance payments.
The Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS)
For 2009-10, the Ministry of Justice excluding NOMS (for grades below the SCS) has allocated £5,300,000 (0.6 per cent. of the paybill) for 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay and £3,800,000 (0.4 per cent. of the paybill) for 'year end' non-consolidated performance pay.
National Offender Management Service
NOMS has different staff groups who are covered by separate pay determination systems. 'In year' and 'end year' performance payments are made but it does not specifically allocate funding.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses were paid to officials in his Department in each of the last three years; and how much was paid in such bonuses in each such year. [307091]
Mr. Straw: The Ministry of Justice does not pay staff bonuses. Depending on their various terms and conditions, staff employed in the Ministry of Justice and its agencies may be eligible for (a) 'year end' and (b) 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay. Details are shown as follows:
Performance related pay is awarded to Senior Civil Servants (SCS) in line with the recommendations made by the Senior Salaries Review Body. Non-consolidated
performance related payments are part of the SCS annual pay award. They are paid to individuals whose performance exceeds agreed delivery objectives during the previous reporting year. There is no 'in year' provision for bonus payments.
| Number of SCS receiving a payment | Total amount paid (£) | |
| (1) The 2007 figures refer to SCS members in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) only. | ||
Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS)
For staff in grades below the SCS (excluding the National Offender Management Services (NOMS)), non-consolidated performance pay may be awarded either at the 'year end' or 'in year'. Awards of 'year end' non-consolidated performance pay are made as part of the annual pay award to staff whose performance over the course of the year has been judged as outstanding under the Ministry's performance management system.
From 1 August 2007, common terms and conditions were introduced for staff in the Ministry of Justice excluding NOMS. The value of 'year end' non-consolidated performance pay was increased to £1,200. Details are shown in the following table.
| Number of staff receiving a payment | Total amount paid (£) | |
| (1) The former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) (2) Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS) | ||
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