Written question asked by Tom Cox (Labour) on Thursday, 7 February 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 14 February 2002. It was answered by Baroness Hughes of Stretford (Labour) on Thursday, 14 February 2002 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with officials of the Prison Officers' Association; and what issues were discussed.

Answer: Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with officials of the Prison Officers' Association; and what issues were discussed. [35325] Beverley Hughes: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I met most recently with representatives of the Prison Officers' Association (POA) on Thursday 7 February 2002 to discuss the recommendations of the Prison Service Pay Review Body and the Government's response to it. The Home Secretary explained that, while the 6 per cent. recommended was not affordable in full from 1 January 2002 without severe implications for Prison Service regimes, he had none the less wanted to respond to the recommendations positively in a way that recognised the value of the staff in the remit group. To this end, he had implemented the awards in full within the period covered by the recommendations. In staging the 6 per cent, he had front-loaded the first stage from 1 January 2002 to ensure an immediate pay rise commensurate with that awarded to other public sector groups for the year. In addition, prison officers would receive the further 2.5 per cent. in January 2003. Finally the locality payments for officers in London and south-east, the areas most hard pressed by recruitment and retention problems, would increase by the full 6 per cent. from 1 January 2002.

Secondary information