Reformed prison working rules save €8m after €300m savings claim

A new prison working rules system that officials said would save the State almost €300m over the past decade by replacing overtime has cut costs by just €8m.

The Department of Justice and the Irish Prison Service (IPS) admitted the situation after it emerged the much-vaunted overtime reform measures fell far short of predicted levels.

Under plans that were introduced in 2006, the existing overtime working hours system was replaced by an annualised hours process in Irish prisons.