Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that the salaries of prison officers reflect their job responsibilities.

HMPPS is committed to ensuring that we have a fair, transparent and effective pay and reward system, which reflects the demands of public-sector prisons. HMPPS uses an externally and independently designed, bespoke job evaluation scheme to evaluate the relative size and weight of the different roles across the Prison Service, including Prison Officers. The job evaluation scheme was developed using wide-ranging research and consultation with staff and trade unions.

Prison Officer roles (and all roles within the Prison Service) have job descriptions which focus on the activities that occupy the majority of their time, setting out the main responsibilities, activities and duties of the role. Through the job evaluation process, jobs are scored and grouped together in pay bands. Prison Officers are employed on pay band 3.

Pay for Prison Officers is informed by the independent recommendations made by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) each year.

In making their recommendations, the PSPRB takes account of the written and oral evidence submitted by Government as well as evidence and representations made by the recognised Trade Unions, including the Prison Officers’ Association. The PSPRB considers a range of factors including perceived or actual changes to the roles and responsibilities of Prison Officers as presented through the evidence, as well as financial indicators such as private sector wage growth, inflation, and future Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts.

There has been significant recent investment in Prison Officer pay. The 2024/25 Prison Service pay award delivered a pay rise of at 5% for all band 3 to 5 Prison Officers, Supervising Officers and Custodial Managers on modernised terms and conditions. This brings the starting salary for an entry level officer (on the national rate, 39 hours with unsocial hours) from £32,851 (as at 1 April 2023) to £34,494 (as at 1 April 2024).