Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 9 Dec 1998

Vol. 498 No. 2

Written Answers. - Prison Service.

Jim Higgins

Ceist:

231 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of overtime paid in 1997 to prison officers; the amounts paid to the ten top recipients of overtime; the overtime rate payable per hour; and the number of hours overtime worked by each of the ten above. [26865/98]

Jim Higgins

Ceist:

237 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the estimated cost of prison officer overtime for 1998; and the basic number of hours worked by prison officers without recourse to overtime. [27003/98]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 237 together.

The total expenditure on overtime in the Prison Service in 1997 was £28.8 million. The expenditure in 1998 is expected to be about £33 million. Details of the amounts paid to the top ten recipients of overtime in 1997 are as follows:

Institution	Grade	Amount
		£
Mountjoy	Prison Officer	38,377.55
Mountjoy	Chief Officer 2	37,279.98
Mountjoy	Prison Officer	35,852.23
Portlaoise	Prison Officer (Trades)	35,852.23
Mountjoy	Prison Officer (Trades)	34,594.73
Portlaoise	Prison Officer	34,336.50
Wheatfield	Prison Officer	33,446.37
Portlaoise	Assistant Chief Officer	32,446.37
Mountjoy	Assistant Chief Officer	32,003.59
Portlaoise	Assistant Chief Officer	31,531.74

There is no set hourly rate for overtime. Overtime is linked to the pay of the officer involved so the higher an officer is on his scale or in grade, the higher the hourly amount payable. The rate payable also varies in respect of the accumulated hours per week, that is, the first three hours overtime per week are paid at the rate of time and a quarter, the next five hours at a time and a half and the remainder at double time. There are also special rates payable in respect of Sunday and public holiday overtime. Overall, the average amount paid per hour, in the first half of 1998, was approximately £19.

It would not be possible, without expending a disproportionate amount of staff time, to ascertain exactly the extra hours worked by the officers above. However, the level of overtime earned by the top officer above equates to approximately 36 basic hours extra per week. That level of extra attendance is, however, not sustainable and is a matter of concern which governors have been asked to seek ways to avoid in the future. Prison officers are conditioned to work a basic 39-hour week.