£13million pay plug as jails hit breaking point
Huge cost of staff working extra hours
Scotland’s prison service has been forced to make £13.1 million of “ex-gratia” payments to workers over four years due to staff shortages.
Figures released through Freedom of Information ( FOI) to the Labour Party have revealed the huge expenditure on unofficial overtime money for guards.
Payments have rocketed from £1.9million in 2016 to £ 5.3million in 2019, while the number of unf i l led vacancies has increased from 47 to 154 over the same period.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) does not pay an hourly overtime rate and instead awards ex- gratia payments to employees in return for working over their contracted hours.
James Kel ly, Scott ish Labour’s justice spokesman, said: “This staggering sum in ex-gratia payments illustrates the staff ing crisis that has been facing the Scottish Prison Service for some time now.
“Further FOI requests have revealed that vacancies on the prison estate were the highest on record in 2019, with over 154 staff needed to fill vacant roles across every prison in the country.
“We also know staff absence levels have been rising rapidly.
“These things combined result in existing staff having to work above and beyond their contracted hours and the prison service having to fork out large amounts of money to plug the gap.
“The figures from Barlinnie alone – where overcrowding has long been an issue – total £ 1,813,026. At the same pr i son, vacancies have tripled since 2016.
“This situation will only continue unless ser ious action is taken to address the staffing crisis in prisons.”
At Grampia n
Prison, the ex-gratia overtime bil l has increased from just
£19,147 in 2016 to £1.1million last year.
And at
Barlinnie in Glasgow, the cost has increased from £ 462,144 in 2016 to £ 681,307 in 2019.
Vacancies for “operational uniformed staff” have more than tripled since 2016 across the prison estate. In 2016, there were just 47 vacancies but by 2019 that figure had jumped to 154.
In Polmont, where many of Scotland’s most vulnerable young offenders are held, the number of vacancies has risen from zero in 2016 to 13.
At HMP Edinburgh, vacancies have increased from just six to 23.
And at Barl innie, the number of staff needed has gone up from four to 14 between 2016 and 2019. A senior police officer last week claimed a scheme to release some prisoners early because of the coronavirus pandemic has created extra work for the force.
Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham told a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority that “some interventions” had been required from Police Scotland.
The SPS has admitted 154 inmates were released early between May 6 and May 18 under powers g iven to governors by the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020. More are due to be let out in the coming weeks. The SPS has also agreed to give all prisoners a mobile phone because visiting rights have been put on hold.
An S PS spokesman confirmed that prison officers were paid 30 per cent over their normal pay rate for extra shifts on weekdays and 60 per cent over their normal rate at weekends.
He added: “We are working to fill all staff vacancies.”
The Scottish Government said: “This is an operational matter for the SPS.”