Is taxpayer money funding bonuses at the Department for Enterprise?

Seven staff shared £81k in bonuses last year but DfE refuses to disclose detailed performance criteria

The Department for Enterprise awarded £81,676 in bonus payments to seven staff members during the 2023/24 financial year - more than doubling the amount paid the previous year according to a recent Freedom of Information response.

It details the number of staff receiving bonuses and the total amounts paid over the past five years.

The figures show a steady pattern of three recipients per year, each receiving an average of £11,500 per year until 2023/24, when the number more than doubled.

Performance-Based Payments

The department stated that these payments stem from individual contracts which were introduced to attract private-sector expertise by offering flexible terms outside the standard Public Services Commission framework.

These contracts do not include pension contributions and have fewer benefits compared to standard civil service roles.

Some of these contracts also include performance-related pay where bonuses are awarded based on specific targets.

However the department declined to provide details on the exact metrics used citing data protection concerns.

A spokesperson for the DfE said: “Bonus payments are linked to divisional, or agency plans rather than individual key performance indicators.

“These plans are publicly available and outline the strategic objectives that guide our performance assessments.”

The department referenced several published programmes, such as Business Isle of Man, Finance Isle of Man, and Visit Isle of Man, which set out annual goals for economic development and sector growth.

While the department provided overall figures it refused to disclose detailed performance targets citing Section 25 of the Isle of Man Freedom of Information Act.

It argued that releasing this information could lead to the identification of individuals which would breach data protection regulations under the applied GDPR.

The FOI response states: “Given the department’s relatively small size linking bonus-related KPIs to specific roles would make it possible to identify individuals which would contravene data protection laws.”

The source of the bonus funding is unclear.

Manx Radio has approached the Department for Enterprise for comment.