Civil servants now taking away Winter Fuel Payments are enjoying
bonuses of up to £14,000, it can ... عرض المزيدCivil servants now taking away Winter Fuel Payments are enjoying
bonuses of up to £14,000, it can be revealed.
The rewards given to almost 100 top officials at the Department for Work and Pensions would pay for more than 3,
000 pensioners' annual energy bill support.
In total the department handed out almost £12million of taxpayers'
money in bonuses to staff last year.
The perks have sparked fresh outrage over Labour's decision to stop 10m elderly people receiving the allowance,
worth £200 for most households, this year in order to save money.
Critics pointed out that the DWP oversees a benefits system that lost
a staggering £13.9billion of public money to fraud and error last year.
Last night Elliot Keck, head of campaigns at the TaxPayer' Alliance, told the Mail:
‘These bonuses for bumbling bureaucrats are wildly unjustified given the catastrophic levels
of fraud and error on DWP's watch.
‘While taxpayers face a budget of horrors, civil servants can sit comfortable knowing they have the pay, pensions and perks that the rest of the country can only dream
of.‘
Labour should put a stop on these rewards for failure and ensure that any future bonuses are based on a genuine improvement in results.
The rewards given to almost 100 top officials at the Department for Work and Pensions would pay for more than 3,000 pensioners' annual energy
bill support (file image)
In total the department handed out almost £12million of taxpayers' money in bonuses to staff last year (file image)
Elliot Keck (pictured), head of campaigns at the TaxPayer' Alliance said that bonuses for civil servants
are ‘unjustified'
'Figures obtained by the Mail under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the
DWP paid out £645,685 in end of year bonuses to Senior
Civil Servants in 2023-24, enough to cover more than 3,000 pensioners' winter fuel payments.
The jackpot was shared by 91 of the top-ranking officials with the median payment £7,250 and the
largest £14,000.
Accounts show that Permanent Secretary Sir Peter
Schofield received performance related pay of between £10,000 and £15,000 last year on top of his salary of between £195,000 and £200,000.
Three other executive directors also received bonuses in the
same bracket, the annual report stated.
Another £11.2m in bonuses was handed to 82,526 more junior staff, with the average award £150
and the biggest £214.
The total £11.9m given out in bonuses last year, which covered performance in the
previous financial year, would have paid
for 59,623 pensioners' Winter Fuel Payments.
In addition, most junior grades received a one-off £1,500 cost
of living payment last year, as did civil servants in other departments.
A DWP spokesman insisted: ‘It is important the Civil Service is able to
remunerate its staff in line with the private sector, to attract and retain the best talent, as it delivers on the government's commitments to working people.
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The perks have sparked fresh outrage over Labour 's decision to stop 10m elderly people receiving the allowance
(file image)
Read More
Voters may eventually thank Labour for axing pensioners' winter fuel cash,
insists minister
‘We have had to make tough choices, but are committed to supporting pensioners
- with millions set to see their state pension rise by up
to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock and over a million pensioners will
still receive the Winter Fuel Payment.'
The Mail revealed last year that the DWP had lost £13.9bn in fraud
and error, while axing winter fuel payments for 10million pensioners will save just £1.5bn.
One civil servant allegedly handed £600,000 in benefits to
his friends, prompting calls for ministers to tackle ‘crime and cock-ups' in Whitehall.
Officials also mistakenly gave £200,000 to one person last
year. And they wasted £16million in rent on empty buildings used as temporary Jobcentres in the pandemic, a
DWP report into waste found.
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Civil servants now taking away Winter Fuel Payments are enjoying
bonuses of up to £14,000, it can ... عرض المزيد