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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 2 Nov 1999

Vol. 509 No. 6

Written Answers. - Prison Staff.

Jim Higgins

Question:

525 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the top ten amounts paid in overtime to prison officers for the first nine months of 1999; the amounts similarly paid for the first nine months of 1997 and 1998; and the number of hours worked in respect of overtime by each of the officers. [21444/99]

Jim Higgins

Question:

541 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of hours overtime worked by the top ten earners of overtime in the prison service in 1998. [21850/99]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 541 together.

The amount of overtime paid to the top ten recipients in the prison service for the first nine months in each of the years from 1997 to 1999 is as follows:

1997

Institution

Grade

Amount£

Mountjoy

Chief Officer 2

25,814.16

Mountjoy

Prison Officer

25,380.10

Portlaoise

Trades Officer

25,136.81

Portlaoise

Prison Officer

24,451.74

Mountjoy

Trades Officer

23,852.43

Institution

Grade

Amount£

Cork

Assistant Industrial Supervisor

23,800.89

Mountjoy

Prison Officer

23,063.86

Wheatfield

Prison Officer

22,482.81

Mountjoy

Chief Officer 2

22,207.65

Portlaoise

Assistant Chief officer

22,018.35

1998

Institution

Grade

Amount£

Mountjoy

Prison Officer

37,046.86

Mountjoy

Prison Officer

35,006.39

Portlaoise

Prison Officer

33,006.64

Portlaoise

Prison Officer

32,400.90

Mountjoy

Prison Officer

31,184.21

Mountjoy

Chief Officer 2

29,926.67

Mountjoy

Prison Officer

29,728.94

Wheatfield

Prison Officer

28,668.70

Mountjoy

Chief Officer 2

28,182.64

Portlaoise

Assistant Chief Officer

28,158.63

1998

Institution

Grade

Amount£

Portlaoise

Trades Officer

35,295.02

Portlaoise

Prison Officer

33,706.62

Portlaoise

Assistant Chief Officer

30,485.36

Mountjoy

Chief Officer 2

30,460.40

Portlaoise

Prison Officer

29,831.52

Mountjoy

Prison Officer

29,736.18

Portlaoise

Assistant Chief Officer

29,011.37

Portlaoise

Assistant Chief Officer

28,302.08

Mountjoy

Chief Officer 2

28,178.14

Mountjoy

Prison Officer

28,039.58

There is no set hourly rate for overtime. Overtime is linked to the pay of the officer involved, so the higher an officer is in scale or grade, the higher the hourly amount payable. The rate payable also varies in respect of the accumulated hours per week, namely, the first three hours overtime per week are paid at the rate of time and a quarter, the next five hours at time and a half and the remainder at double time. There are also special rates payable in respect of Sunday and public holiday overtime. It should also be noted that some of the increases from year to year can be ascribed to general increases in pay. Overall, the average amount paid per hour, in the first half of 1999, was approximately £20.
It would not be possible, without expending a disproportionate amount of staff time, to ascertain exactly the extra hours worked by the top ten earners of overtime in the prison service in the years in question. However, the level of overtime earned by the top officers equates to over 40 basic hours extra per week. That level of extra attendance is, however, not sustainable and is a matter of concern which is being addressed in a strategic way through the work of a dedicated staffing and operations review team. This team is examining the staffing requirements at each institution and has produced seven reports to date. A strategy for the implementation of the findings of these reports is being developed at present. The ultimate aim is to have an attendance system for the prison service which does not rely on overtime to meet its operational needs.
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