Allowances are 35% of prison pay bill

More than a third of total pay to prison officers is made up of a “plethora” of allowances, the head of the Department of Justice has said.

Secretary General Brian Purcell said €85 million (35%) of the €243m prison pay bill is comprised of allowances. Addressing the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, he said there were 64 separate allowances.

Mr Purcell said 13 new allowances were introduced in 2005 as part of an agreement on a system to replace the €65m overtime bill.