This is the third 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 2005. These include: an increase in basic pay for all remit group staff of two per cent, to be paid through consolidated spinal progression; and an unconsolidated service-wide performance award of up to one per cent subject to targets being met.

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.

The Prison Service Pay Review Body 2011 report on Northern Ireland sets out a number of recommendations regarding pay, including: a consolidated increase of £250 for night custody officers, operational support grades and healthcare assistants; a consolidated increase of £0.12 per hour for prisoner custody officers and senior prisoner custody officers; that night patrol officers be paid at a single rate of £18,704. These recommendations are made against the background of exceptional economic circumstances, and follow the Minister's recommendation that consideration be given to those earning £21,000 or less, which follows the Government's announcement of a two-year pay freeze for those earning above that threshold.

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.

This is the second report on Northern Ireland as an independent Pay Review Body which makes recommendations for the pay arrangements of prison governors and officer grades applicable from 1 April 2004. These include: a consolidated increase in basic pay of 1.5 per cent and non-consolidated individual performance awards; a consolidated increase of 1 per cent for senior and principal officers; an increase of 2 per cent in basic pay for prison officers below point 93 on the pay spine; and an increase in basic pay of 1 per cent for auxiliary and night patrol officers.