How much does he earn?: No 47: Derek Lewis, director-general of the Prison Service

Age: 48.

Salary: pounds 125,000 a year. His contract is for three years service.

Performance pay: He can earn up to an extra 35 per cent of salary in performance bonuses for meeting certain targets. As these include keeping prisoners in custody and maintaining order, control and discipline, recent events may hit his bonus.

Perks: Car is provided. As a former chief executive of Granada Television and chairman of UK Gold TV (which has made a virtue of showing old TV favourites such as Porridge), he has also had many opportunities to put his knowledge of the camera to good use.

Educated: Wrekin College, Telford; Queen's College, Cambridge; the London Business School.

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