Parliamentary Question: Prison Staff

27th November 2002

55. Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his proposals to reduce the very high level of overtime in the prison service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23716/02]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell): The prison service has for a number of years been operating with what is, in any view, an extraordinary level of dependence on overtime. In 2001, the cost of overtime was nearly 30% of the overall pay costs for the service. This overtime requirement arises because the level of staff serving is inadequate to meet the 24 hour, seven day week needs of the service based on existing agreed staffing arrangements. In particular it has been necessary to resort to overtime working to cover prisoner escorts, staff leave, staff training, sick absence and staff shortfalls.

Since my appointment as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, it has been my stated aim to decisively address the issue of unacceptable overtime costs in the Prisons Service. In meetings which I have had with both the management of the Irish Prison Service and with the national officers of the Prison Officers Association, the union which represents the majority of prison staff, I have made it clear that I consider this issue to be a priority for my Department. I have made it known to all concerned that I am determined to see it addressed in the very short rather than the long-term. At my request officials of the Irish Prison Service, who have been long engaged in a detailed exploration of alternative working arrangements for the management of prisons and places of detention, are putting together a draft package or framework of proposals for such change on which to consult the staff side.

The preparation of this new system of prison working has been greatly facilitated by the detailed prison by prison recommendations on more efficient prison staffing by an expert management group, the staffing and operations review team - SORT - which completed its work last year. Since then, management has engaged in a lengthy consultative process with staff representatives with a view to ensuring that the SORT recommendations could be implemented without the need for overtime working. These consultations recently reached the stage where management found itself in a position to draw together a new framework to implement the SORT recommendations and at the same time to tackle the service's dependency on overtime working.

This process has been both lengthy and complex but is being afforded a very high level of priority by my officials, the management of the Irish Prison Service and me. It is the intention that realistic proposals for change in the short-term will be tabled in a matter of weeks and discussed urgently with staff representatives with a view to the necessary staffing reforms being agreed early in the New Year.