Vol. 358 No. 13
asked the Minister for Justice (a) the total moneys owing to his Department from the Prison Officers' Association; (b) the basis on which the moneys became payable and if he will give an analysis of the total sum due;
(c) the length of time that moneys are outstanding; and (d) the nature of the financial arrangements made by his Department for payment of those moneys.
Limerick East): (a) £16,623 at 28 May 1985. (b) In accordance with the practice relating to the secondment of civil servants to full time posts with unions catering for civil servants, the prison officer salaries of the general secretary and the deputy general secretary of the Prison Officers Association are paid to the officers concerned in the normal way and are recoupable to the Department in arrears from the association on a quarterly basis. Facilities are also granted to duly authorised non full time association representatives to attend executive meetings and annual and special delegate conferences of their association subject to recoupment to the Department by the association of the sum calculated at half of the mean of the officer's scale or half of the officer's actual pay, whichever yields the lesser amount in respect of the periods involved.
The sum due at any particular date is not made up of components but is the difference between the total payable and the amount received and accordingly it cannot be broken down further. (c) Payments were not in arrears prior to the September 1981 quarter. At the end of 1981 total arrears were £9,991; at the end of 1982, £17,227; at the end of 1983, £23,165 and at the end of 1984, £17,473. (d) The association has agreed to recoup the Department at the rate of £10,000 per quarter with effect from the March 1985 quarter until such time as the amount outstanding is cleared. This amount will cover amounts falling due and arrears, and should clear the arrears within three years.
