New Research: BBC and S4C spend millions on private healthcare

The TaxPayers' Alliance has uncovered that the BBC and S4C, the Welsh language channel, have spent more than £2.3 million on private health insurance for staff in the last three years.

The figures were revealed through Freedom of Information requests to both organisations. S4C provide health insurance for the majority of their staff.

The key findings from these Freedom of Information requests were:

• In 2008 544 BBC staff received private health insurance, total spent was £697,520 - equivalent to 5,000 TV licences
  


• In 2009 530 BBC staff received private health insurance, total spent was £705,469 - equivalent to 4,951 TV licences


• In 2010 532 BBC staff received private health insurance, total spent was £761,438 - equivalent to 5,233 TV licences


• In 2008-9 129 S4C staff (from a total of 167) received private health insurance, total spent was £50,551


• In 2009-10 123 S4C staff (from a total of 171) received private health insurance, total spent was £52,310


• In 2010-11 122 S4C staff (from a total of 171) received private health insurance, total spent was £48,111

Matthew Sinclair, Director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:

"It’s crazy that the BBC and S4C have spent millions in recent years on private health insurance for staff.  Viewers already pay for the NHS through their taxes and if it’s good enough for us then it’s good enough for them.  Cutting costly healthcare perks would be a quick and painless saving.  Expensive extras like this are unaffordable and should be scrapped; both organisations need to acknowledge the wider financial crisis and tighten their belts several notches."

This information came from freedom of information requests to the BBC and S4C; their responses are below:

BBC FoI response



 

S4C FoI response

The TaxPayers' Alliance has uncovered that the BBC and S4C, the Welsh language channel, have spent more than £2.3 million on private health insurance for staff in the last three years.

The figures were revealed through Freedom of Information requests to both organisations. S4C provide health insurance for the majority of their staff.

The key findings from these Freedom of Information requests were:

• In 2008 544 BBC staff received private health insurance, total spent was £697,520 - equivalent to 5,000 TV licences
  


• In 2009 530 BBC staff received private health insurance, total spent was £705,469 - equivalent to 4,951 TV licences


• In 2010 532 BBC staff received private health insurance, total spent was £761,438 - equivalent to 5,233 TV licences


• In 2008-9 129 S4C staff (from a total of 167) received private health insurance, total spent was £50,551


• In 2009-10 123 S4C staff (from a total of 171) received private health insurance, total spent was £52,310


• In 2010-11 122 S4C staff (from a total of 171) received private health insurance, total spent was £48,111

Matthew Sinclair, Director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:

"It’s crazy that the BBC and S4C have spent millions in recent years on private health insurance for staff.  Viewers already pay for the NHS through their taxes and if it’s good enough for us then it’s good enough for them.  Cutting costly healthcare perks would be a quick and painless saving.  Expensive extras like this are unaffordable and should be scrapped; both organisations need to acknowledge the wider financial crisis and tighten their belts several notches."

This information came from freedom of information requests to the BBC and S4C; their responses are below:

BBC FoI response



 

S4C FoI response