FOI reference: FOI-2025-2850
You asked
Reading the UKSA Annual Report annexes, I had several follow up queries.
1. According to the UKSA Annual Report, the Director for Operations is paid an equivalent salary to a Director General at ONS. Is the salary within the normal salary band for a new SCS PB2 Director role? If not, who put forward the case for a higher salary, and who made the decision?
2. Specifically, was either the HR Director or the Director for Finance involved in preparing the business case for a higher than usual salary, advising on this decision, or approving it?
3. Was this decision discussed at a meeting of the ONS Executive/SLT? If so, on what date, and was the Director for Operations (or Director for People and Business Services) in attendance?
4. According to the UKSA Annual Report, the Director for Operations was awarded the highest performance bonus of any member of the SCS in 2023-24. Who put forward this recommendation, and who made the decision?
5. Specifically, was either the HR Director or the Director for Finance involved in preparing the business case for a large performance salary, advising on this decision, or approving it?
6. Was this decision discussed at a meeting of the ONS Executive/SLT? If so, on what date, and was the Director for Operations (or Director for People and Business Services) in attendance?
7. Was it appropriate for the Director for Operations to be awarded the highest performance bonus at ONS in a year when they presided over a marked deterioration in social survey data collection, leading to the suspension of the Labour Force Survey in October 2023 and the major reputational damage this caused for the organisation?
We said
Thank you for your request.
1. The published Annual Report sets out the Remuneration of Executive Directors for the UK Statistics Authority and the Office for National Statistics. The salary for the Director for Operations stated in the published Annual Report (2023/24) is £140-145,000 (FYE) which is within the standard SCS pay band 2 range.
The ranges for SCS pay band 2 (Director level) and SCS pay bad 3 (Director General level) are shown below:
- SCS pay band 2 range: £98,000 to £162,500
- SCS pay band 3 range: £128,000 to £208,100
The salary for the Director for Operations was therefore within the range for SCS pay band 2. The appointee to the role was already a substantive pay band 2.
2. Please refer to question 1, the salary was within the normal range for an SCS pay band 2.
3. Please refer to question 1, the salary was within the normal range for an SCS pay band 2.
4. Decisions on end of year non-consolidated remuneration for directors are made by a senior moderation panel convened specifically for this purpose. These decisions are ratified by the Remuneration Committee, a sub-committee of the UK Statistics Authority Board. Decisions on the in-year reward components of the total bonus payment were made by the National Statistician.
5. As the wording 'performance salary' in your question is unclear, we have interpreted this as being in relation to performance bonuses (rather than 'salary') in line with question 4. Individuals are never involved in moderation panel discussions in relation to their own remuneration. Specifically therefore, the HR Director (being also the Director for Operations) was not involved in decisions about bonuses for that post. The Director of Finance, Planning and Performance was also not involved.
6. Please refer to the answers to questions 4 and 5.
7. Please refer to question 4 which outlines the process followed. We are not obliged to provide an opinion in response to an FOI request.