I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 199 together.
Apart from members of the Irish Prison Service there are no staff in my Department on temporary transfer in receipt of travel and subsistence payments. The Deputy should note that, to date, only two institutions have been mothballed, namely, the Curragh and Fort Mitchel.
In so far as the Irish Prison Service is concerned, the payment of travel and subsistence is governed by the provisions of Department of the Public Service Circular 11/ 82. It is a matter for each Department to determine whether it would be appropriate to make travel and subsistence payments to their staff in any particular situation. Accordingly, in relation to temporary transfers from Fort Mitchel and the Curragh, it has been decided that subsistence payments relating to breakfast, dinner or tea allowances will not be paid as the costs of same would normally be incurred by the officer in any event.
Furthermore, mileage expenses are to be at the lower rate and the payment of this will be reviewed on a regular basis. For the purposes of clarification, where an officer travels from home to the prison of temporary transfer he or she will qualify for mileage, at the lower rate, based on the lesser of the distance from home to the prison of temporary transfer or the distance from their normal prison to the prison of temporary transfer, except that if any part of the journey from home to the prison of temporary transfer covers part of the usual route from home to his or her normal prison, this portion will not qualify for payment of mileage, that is, mileage is only payable for that part of the journey after the officer leaves his or her normal route to work to their normal prison.
Staff on a 12 hour shift who decide not to travel from home to and from work each day will be entitled to claim overnight subsistence — this will be reduced by the breakfast, dinner and tea rate — on the following basis: subsistence will be at the normal rate for 14 calendar days, €74.60 per night; reduced rate for the next 14 calendar days, €63.80 per night; and detention rate for the next 28 calendar days, €37.32 per night. The above arrangements are being kept under review.
