The report's key recommendation is for an increase in basic pay for all grades of £425 or 1.6 per cent, whichever is the greater. This, combined with some other changes for operational managers, two additional rates of locality pay, and a 1.6 per cent increase in all allowances except specialist, will lead to an increase in the pay bill of £27 million or 2.5 per cent. The Review Body has long considered the current pay system as outmoded and in urgent need of reform, and has identified particular aspects that require attention: the length of pay ranges; performance or competence based pay progression; rationalization of the middle management grading structure; and pay arrangements for governing governors (in charge of establishments) and senior operational managers. So it welcomes some progress towards pay reform, linked to a multi-year deal between the Prison Service Agency and the Prison Officers' Association, but regrets that the negotiations had stalled at the end of 2005. It is vital that the negotiations resume, and that proposals for a new pay and grading structure, underpinned by a robust job evaluation system, are available in time for the 2007 report.

Key recommendations this year are: a six point incremental scale for operational support grades incorporating a 2.2% increase at maximum & minimum, with a common incremental date of 1 April; OSGs other than probationers will receive their 2008 increment before assimilating to the new scale; a 2.2% conolidated increase to maximum and minimum of officer pay scale, to maximum of scales for night patrol, storeman, assistant storeman and auxiliary grades; a 2.7% consolidated increase to senior officer (SO) salary to the minimum of the PO scale; a 2.7% consolidated increase to maximum of pay range A and a 2.2% increase to maximum of pay ranges B to G and the decoupling of the pay ranges from the pay spine; no change to specialist allowances or to care & maintenance of dogs allowance; a 2.2% increase to the required hours addition (RHA), contracted supplementary hours (CSH), bedwatch, constant watch and Operation Tornado payments and other allowances; no change to locality pay

This is the fourth report on Northern Ireland from the Prison Service Pay Review Body with recommendations for the pay arrangements of prison governors and officer grades applicable from 1 April 2006. These include: a consolidated increase in basic pay for all remit group staff of two per cent, to be paid through spinal progression; and an unconsolidated service-wide performance award of up to one per cent.

The Review Body makes recommendations for the pay arrangements of prison governors, other operational managers, prison officers and support grades in England and Wales. This is their 4th report which contains recommendations applicable from 1 April 2005, including that existing rates of locality payment remain in force, to be kept under review; an increase in basic pay of 2.5 per cent for staff generally, with the exception of senior officers who should receive an increase of 3.0 per cent in improve their relative position within the pay structure.