Concerns have already been expressed that the locally defined contracts could lead to unacceptable variations in the contractual obligations, remuneration and support [ 11].
These benefits are arguably over and above the remuneration received from the contractual obligations of providing healthcare.
"Whilst these claims arose in 2008 against the background of the international crisis of the banking industry and whilst the subject of bonuses remains one of intense public interest," the judge said, the case "concerns the nature and existence of contractual obligations and does not concern the wider subject of remuneration in the banking industry".
Lord Patten told the committee of MPs that the Trust was only contacted about two of the payments by former director general Mark Thompson and was assured they were within contractual terms and had been signed off by the executive remuneration committee.
"The trust was assured that the package was within contractual terms and that the chairman of the BBC's executive remuneration committee had agreed to it being approved.
The Trust was assured that the package was within contractual terms and that the chairman of the BBC's executive remuneration committee had agreed to it being approved," they said.
In a statement on Friday, five members of the trust who were in their posts at the time of Mr Byford's departure said they were assured that Mr Byford's package "was within contractual terms and that the chairman of the BBC's executive remuneration committee had agreed to it being approved".
In addition, the remuneration committee stripped him of his bonus relating to his contractual notice period – worth up to £1.5m in previous years – along with share awards made in the last two years, worth about £2.2m, which means he missed out on close to £4m.
The company's remuneration committee said Dacre's pay rise was a special case because he has a contractual agreement for an annual boost of either 5% or at the rate of the Retail Price Index, whichever is higher.
The issue in hand being the remuneration and in particular severance payments made to top managers at the corporation, which exceeded not only contractual obligations but also, it would seem, public and political tolerance.
