Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”) dated 18th August 2008 seeking the following information:
“The BBC recently gave a gift of shopping vouchers to members of staff at World Service News and Current Affairs. Did all WSNCA staff receive the same gift? How much were they given and how much did this cost the BBC?”
As part of the BBC-wide ‘Celebrating Success’ scheme, all 290 staff in World Service News & Current Affairs were awarded £100 in shopping vouchers in July of this year as a reward for outstanding achievement. This included winning eight prestigious Sony Radio Awards and increasing audience figures by 2 million listeners. The achievement was exceptional as the BBC World Service had previously only won one gold Sony Award in its 75 year history.
The vouchers were funded from the department’s own budget and all staff received the same amount. The total cost of the reward was £29,000.
Appeal Rights If you are not satisfied with this response you have the right to an internal review by a BBC senior manager or legal adviser. Please contact us at the address above, explaining what you would like us to review and including your reference number. If you are not satisfied with the internal review, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. The contact details are: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545 700 or see http://www.ico.gov.uk/
Yours sincerely
Hugh Saxby Head of Governance & Public Affairs, BBC Global News
