Michael Ring
Ceist:208 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if departmental staff can earn a bonus in their wages when their actions at work directly result in savings for his Department. [19181/99]
Written Answers. - Departmental Staff.
There is no direct bonus system for staff of my Department specifically in relation to the achievement of savings from control work.
However, 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 of Departments to make awards for sustained exceptional performance. The criteria for that scheme require that the staff member or group of staff who are nominated operated on a sustained basis above the level which would reasonably be expected in the normal course from the grade of staff involved.
A number of such awards were made to staff in the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs for exceptional performance during 1998 in respect of a wide variety of activities. The areas covered by the awards included customer service, control, information technology and general administration.
Additionally, there is also the Civil Service staff suggestion scheme called INPUT. The purpose of this scheme is to facilitate and encourage the submission of suggestions by eligible staff aimed at improving Civil Service operations. Awards were made to a number of staff in the Department on foot of suggestions for improvements made in 1998.