Vol. 574 No. 5
228 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has considered or intends to consider the Prison Officers' Association's proposal for the creation and sharing of productivity gains in the Irish Prison Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27644/03]
229 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will meet the Prison Officers' Association to discuss proposals outlined in proposal for the creation and sharing of productivity gains in the Irish Prison Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27645/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 229 together.
I fully concur, as does the Government, with the assessment of the Prison Officers' Association proposal by the director general of the Irish Prison Service, which is to the effect that the document referred to by the Deputy is essentially a claim for an increase in basic pay. Increases in basic pay are precluded under Sustaining Progress and, in those circumstances, the Government is not prepared to authorise the Irish Prison Service to enter talks in any forum where a proposal involving such an increase would be part of the discussions. Incidentally, the productivity gain measures proffered by the Prison Officers' Association represent only a small fraction of the reforms required to bring prison service staffing costs under control. They would not produce savings on anything like the scale suggested by the association.
