Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendation by the Prison Service Pay Review Body to offer different paid contracts for Prison Officers on Fair and Sustainable rates and closed rates; and what steps he is taking to address disparities between the two pay structures.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
In 2012, HMPPS introduced of a new common pay and grading structure called Fair & Sustainable (F&S) that applied to all new staff who joined the service after 1 April 2012 and existing staff who would benefit from opting into the modernised pay structures. This was a Workforce Policy decision and therefore not determined by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB). There are, however, still a group of staff employed pre-2012 who remain on legacy “closed” grade pay structures. The reason for this is that they would not benefit financially from “opting in” to F&S so they have been allowed to remain on legacy terms. This year, because of the Prison Service Pay Review Body recommendations, the majority of closed grade staff will financially benefit from opting into the Fair & Sustainable pay structures and we will encourage them to do so.
Feb. 29 2024
Source Page: HMPPS evidence to Prison Service Pay Review Body: 2024Found: HMPPS evidence to Prison Service Pay Review Body: 2024
Feb. 29 2024
Source Page: HMPPS evidence to Prison Service Pay Review Body: 2024Found: HMPPS evidence to Prison Service Pay Review Body: 2024
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the provisions of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 on the ability of the Prison Officers Association to represent their members in workplace disputes.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The provisions of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 (the 2023 Act) do not extend to prison officers, who are not included in the categories listed in section 234B(4) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, as amended by the Schedule to the 2023 Act. Under section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, however, it would be unlawful for a trade union representing prison officers to induce its members to strike.
As prison officers do not have a right to strike, the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) is an independent body which acts as a compensatory mechanism. The PSPRB conducts its own research and considers evidence submitted by the Prison Officers Association before making recommendations to the Government. The Government would only depart from those recommendations in exceptional circumstances.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers recruited in 2023 have left the prison service.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication covers staffing information, including leavers, and the latest publication covers data up to 30 September 2023. Figures for the remainder of 2023 are due for publication on 15 February 2023 and therefore this information cannot be released at this time.
In the period from 01 January 2023 to 30 September 2023, there were 3,967 band 3-5 prison officers who joined HM Prison and Probation Service. Details of the number and proportion who have left the Prison Service (including the Youth Custody Service) as of 30 September 2023 are given in the table below.
Table 1: Status of band 3-5 prison officers1 who joined2 between 1 January 2023 and 30 September 2023 - as of 30 September 2023
Remained or left | Headcount | Percentage |
Still working in prisons ( including YCS)3 | 3,627 | 91.4% |
Left HMPPS altogether | 340 | 8.6% |
Total | 3,967 | 100.0% |
Notes
1. Includes Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.
2. New recruits joining HMPPS - does not include internal transfers or conversions.
3. Even though these staff are still working in prisons they may no longer be in prison officer roles due to staff movements etc
Appropriate staffing across our prison estate is vitally important. In line with Prisons Strategy White Paper, published in December 2021, we are committed to recruiting up to 5,000 additional prison officers across public and private prisons by the mid-2020s in line with estate expansion. The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) prison officers has increased over time. As of 30 September 2023, there has been increase of 1,441 FTE (6.7%) since 30 September 2022. For prison officers, there has been an increase of 632 FTE (2.8%) compared to June 2023. Over the year to 30 September 2023, 5,377 band 3 to 5 offers were appointed (consisting of new recruits and existing staff who converted to a band 3 officer grade).
In late 2021, HM Prison Service launched a retention tool kit to help Governors to tackle the main drivers of attrition in their prisons. We are using the data from this and enhanced exit interviews to better understand why employees are leaving.
HM Prison Service made a significant investment in pay for prison staff through the 2023/24 pay awards. This delivered an increase of at least 5% for all Prison Service staff, with prison officers receiving a 7% increase. Since 2019, the starting salary increased for an entry level prison officer from £23,529 to £32,851 (national rate, 39-hour week with unsocial hours).
Since April 2022, HM Prison Service have invested in several new initiatives to improve the experience of our new joiners and increase retention of our employees. These include a new peer-to-peer learning scheme, the introduction of mentors for new staff, a supervision pilot in two prisons, and new leadership training in prisons facing retention challenges.
These measures are working. In the 12 months to 30 September 2023, resignation rates for band 3-5 prison officers fell to 8.6%.
Mar. 22 2024
Source Page: PSPRB Fourteenth report on Northern Ireland: 2023Found: v Comprising Custody Prison Officers, Main Grade Officers and Senior Officers.
Written Evidence Jan. 17 2024
Inquiry: Prisons in WalesFound: Pay Crisis The “Cost of Living” Crisis is not a new phenomenon to Welsh Prison Service staff.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase retention levels of experienced prison officers.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In late 2021, the Ministry of Justice launched a retention toolkit to help Senior Leaders across HMPPS including Governors/Directors to tackle the main drivers of attrition in their departments and improve retention levels. We are using the data from enhanced exit interviews to better understand why experienced Prison Officers are leaving.
We made a significant investment in pay for prison staff through the 2023/24 pay award. This delivered an increase in base pay of at least 7% for all staff between bands 2 to 5 which includes Prison Officers.
Since April 2022, we have invested in several new initiatives to increase retention of our employees including Prison Officers. These include a new peer-to-peer learning scheme, the introduction of new staff mentors to support new Prison Officers in their roles, which takes the pressure off both experienced Prison Officers and managers, and a Career Pathways framework to enable staff to identify their development needs and career aspirations. We are also running supervision pilots in two prisons alongside the introduction of new leadership training, which will contribute to supporting career development and retention of experienced officers.
Mar. 22 2024
Source Page: PSPRB Fourteenth report on Northern Ireland: 2023Found: Independent report PSPRB Fourteenth report on Northern Ireland: 2023 Recommendations from the Prison
May. 09 2024
Source Page: County Durham man sentenced for illegal waste activityFound: He was fined £800 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80.