The UKCabinetOffice has declined to comment on the leaks, but said the government had "made it clear that it is committed to radically increasing accountability and improving efficiency".
Later a CabinetOffice source told the BBC about 5% of public sector workers, from all over the UK, were affected, estimated at tens of thousands of people.
That means a change of CabinetOffice guidance to say that there must be no more bonuses until all the problems at the UK Border Agency have been resolved.