Memorandum by the Northern Ireland Prison
Service to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
PART TWO: EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS AND MANAGEMENT
ISSUES
(A) THE WIDER
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
26. No assessment of the Northern Ireland Prison
Service could be complete without taking account of the environment
in which the Service operates.
27. There are unique pressures under which the
Prison Service operates in Northern Ireland. Twenty-nine members
of the Service have been murdered by paramilitaries since the
beginning of the troubles, and many others have been seriously
injured. In establishments with paramilitary prisoners, staff
are subject to regular conditioning and intimidation. Northern
Ireland is a small community. Information about where staff live
and details of members of their families are accessible to members
of terrorist organisations. External events can also lead to attacks
on staff outside the establishments.
28. These unique factors also affect the managerial
flexibility of Governors and senior managers at the centre of
the Agency. Nowhere else in the United Kingdom do prison issues
attract immediate political attention in the same way and sometimes
become the focus for wider civil disturbances. Similarly, only
in Northern Ireland are there groupings of opposed paramilitary
prisoners, housed in their own factions, which have developed
a demonstrable capability to act in a concerted and often disciplined
fashion. The Maze prison alone holds some 400 convicted terrorists
and a further 100 charged with similar offences. There is also
the wider perspective of the linkages between security and political
events outside prisons and their ramifications within prisons.
29. Notwithstanding these pressures, managers
and staff are dedicated to the provision of as "ordinary"
a prison system as possible, offering a full range of facilities
including, for example, education, physical education, sentence
planning and offending behaviour programmes.
(B) EFFECTIVENESS
OF THE
NORTHERN IRELAND
PRISON SERVICE
30. The performance of the Prison Service has
been closely monitored since it became an Agency. Notwithstanding
the challenges posed for management and staff by the nature of
the prison population and outside events, the performance of the
Service against its targets has generally been favourable. Most
regrettably, major lapses in security and control at the Maze
in 1997 have severely tarnished that record.
31. The record of the Northern Ireland Prison
Service in relation to escapes and breaches of order and control
had been comparatively good. Until the very serious escape of
a convicted terrorist from the Maze in December 1997 there had
been no top or high risk prisoner escapes in the past 14 years.
Moreover there have only been six escapes involving medium and
low risk prisoners in the past three years. Over the same period
there has been a trend of reduction in the number of breaches
of order and control (although there may be a slight increase
in 1997-98). No Prison Service can prevent every incident but
the NIPS is committed to minimising risk by creating an environment
which encourages good order and control and which equips establishments
and staff to react to disruptive or violent behaviour in a positive
manner using the minimum of physical restraint.
32. In many respects, Northern Ireland's prisons
offer a more progressive regime than elsewhere. For example, the
range of release schemes including, pre-release Home Leave, Christmas
Home Leave, Summer Home Leave, medical leave, non ambulant leave
and compassionate temporary release, is unparalleled. Over 90
per cent of prisoners in Northern Ireland are housed in single
cell accommodation and 100 per cent have 24 hour access to either
in-cell or other sanitation. The average number of hours out of
cell is higher in Northern Ireland than in England and Wales.
There are comparatively low levels of suicide and bullying, and
drug problems are less prevalent than in any of the other jurisdictions
in the British Isles. Prisoners have extensive access to telephones
and in-cell television.
(C) RESOURCES
33. Management is keenly aware that the Prison
Service is a publicly funded organisation and so is committed
to ensure that all funds are managed effectively and efficiently
and that the principle of value for money is achieved.
34. The total cost of running the Service in
the financial year 1996-97 was £143.2 million. In addition
to an actual reduction in its net operating costs, the cost of
operating the Service in real terms has also fallen. As a result,
despite substantial improvements in the quality of the regime,
the real cost of operating the Service over the past 10 years
has only increased by £2.5 million; an increase of just under
3 per cent. This is illustrated in the graph below. As a labour
intensive organisation around 80 per cent of the annual costs
are made up of staffing costs, i.e., pay and related costs such
as travel and subsistence. (In February 1998 there were 64 Governors,
2,790 officers and auxiliaries and 430 civilian staff in post).
It is in this area that the Prison Service primarily examines
methods of introducing more cost effective working practices.
35. The planned budget for 1997-98 was £142.223
million with a target cost per prisoner place of £76,252.
The cost per prisoner place is arrived at by dividing the Service's
net operating costs (which exclude capital) by the number of staffed
prison places (which was 1,776 at the start of 1997-98).
36. The Agency's costs compare unfavourably
with those of the GB Prison Services, with comparable target costs
for 1997-98 per prisoner place of £24,473 for England and
Wales, and £28,317 for Scotland. But, there are many reasons
for this differential. Factors include the very different nature
of the prisoner population, higher levels of security, diseconomies
of scale, enhanced regimes and higher salaries of prison officers
and Governors. There are currently approximately 1.82 officers
for each prisoner in Northern Ireland overall, though the actual
ratio on duty by day is around one officer to every 1.4 prisoners,
and one to 12 at night. Figures to enable an exact comparison
with GB Services are not available, but both the other British
prison services have more prisoners than staff.
37. Against this background, management has
paid particular attention to reducing costs where practical. Successful
measures in recent years include:
(a) the closure of Belfast Prison in 1996;
(b) the introduction of the Framework Agreement
in 1995 which abolished overtime, (see graph overleaf), provided
staff with higher pensionable salaries and led to an annual reduction
in the paybill of £7 million;
(c) the civilianisation of a range of posts
previously performed by prison officers;
(d) the recruitment of 170 prison auxiliaries
in 1996-97.
38. These steps have resulted in over 500 fewer
prison officers on the complement than in 1994-95, 30 per cent
less Governors over the same period, and a reduction in the average
working week from 46 to 39 hours (equivalent to a further 500
full time posts).
39. Absenteeism continues to be a serious problem
for the NIPS and represents a major drain on resources. In 1993-94
approximately 51,667 operational man days were lost due to sick
absence. This increased in 1994-95 to 52,420 man days, further
increasing in the following year to 70,497 man days before falling
to its 1996-97 level of 54,005 days. (Operational man days represent
the number of conditioned working days lost but not sick absences
on a scheduled rest day.) A sustained and substantial effort has
been made to tackle this problem. (Statistics are not available
to allow a direct comparison with GB Services).
(C) IMPROVING EFFICIENCY
AND EFFECTIVENESS
(i) The Prison Service Review
40. The Chief Executive commissioned a Review
Team led by a senior Governor and supported by external management
consultants to undertake a comprehensive review of the organisation,
structure and management arrangements within the Service.
41. The Review was linked to the requirement
to carry out a review of pay and grading arrangements to ensure
that these were consistent with the Service's business needs and
circumstances. This was a considerable body of work since it encompassed
some 3,300 staff including nearly 70 Governor grades, over 2,800
Prison Service Grades, and over 400 civilian staff.
42. The Review's terms of reference highlighted
the need for:
— a structure capable of better delivering
the Corporate Plan;
— a more unified Service;
— more clearly defined roles and responsibilities;
— clear and effective decision-making,
as far as practicable, at the point closest to delivery.
43. The Review report was distributed to staff
in October last year. It provides a comprehensive and considered
analysis of current management and organisational arrangements
within the Service. Importantly it addresses the difficulties
of managing a Service emerging from 25 years of dealing with unique
penal problems. The recommendations are forward looking and lay
down a necessary framework which will take the Service into a
new era where good management practice and flexibility in the
use of staff extends beyond the mere operational role of containment.
44. The report also considered the roles of
staff at all levels and the need to ensure that the tax payer
is provided with value for money. The core task of the Service
is dealing with the management of prisoners. This can be very
demanding and, when delivered properly, is deserving of high levels
of reward. However, the report concluded that the current structures
and grading arrangements had led to a significant degree of over-grading.
Adjusting the balance offers the opportunity for substantial revenue
savings in the medium and long term.
45. In recommending major changes in the organisational
and management arrangements, the report also emphasised the need
for a major shift in the existing culture of the Service. It stressed
the need for a new performance management system focused more
directly on the delivery of results and linked to better targeting
of training and development opportunities for all staff.
46. Senior management and Ministers have agreed
that the recommendations in the Prison Service Review should be
implemented, subject to fine tuning in further consultation with
staff representatives. The implementation timetable begins now
and will run for at least two years.
47. The main recommendations contained in the
Review Team's report are set out in paragraphs 48 and 49 below.
48. The Review Team examined the relationship
between Headquarters and the Establishments, the structures of
the Directorates within Headquarters and the structures and organisation
of the individual prison Establishments. It recommended:
— a re-adjustment of the focus of Headquarters
towards a more policy orientated and strategic role with a consequential
shift towards increased operational management responsibility
and decision making in establishments;
— better identification of functions
with more decision-taking devolved to establishments and towards
the point of service delivery within them;
— greater focus on roles and contribution
rather than reliance on rank;
— a flattening of management structures
across the Service to ensure that there is no more than a maximum
of four levels of management above Service delivery level;
— new structures for all Establishments
and Headquarters Directorates drawn up on the basis of these recommendations.
49. The Review Team concluded that the separate
pay and grading arrangements which currently exist for prison
grades, Governors and civilian staff militate against the development
of a corporate ethos and common values. It recommended:
— a unified pay and grading structure
covering all staff;
— a common job evaluation system based
on the corporate business needs and values of the Service;
— applying the job evaluation model
to establish new unified pay bands;
— an equity share based performance
related pay system for all staff;
— harmonising terms and conditions
of employment for all staff in the Service;
— introducing a new service-wide performance
appraisal scheme, and competence based staff development arrangements;
— seeking to create arrangements that
improve flexibility for staff to transfer into and out of the
Service.
(ii) The Service's Efficiency Programme
INTRODUCTION
50. The Prison Service's efficiency strategy
is developed as part of the corporate planning process; it reflects
the Agency's objectives, the financial constraints and the underlying
aim of using resources with maximum efficiency. It has focused
on methods of reducing the workforce input costs of the organisation,
through:
(a) a continuing scrutiny of total workforce
requirements in all areas with a view to securing reductions wherever
possible;
(b) the introduction of more cost effective
work approaches; and
(c) exploration of the scope for abolishing,
market testing or contracting out specific areas of work through
a continuing programme of prior options reviews.
51. Prior options reviews of the works department
(maintenance service), pharmacy services and fire prevention arrangements,
were completed in 1996-97. Prior options review of inmates catering
and stores and distribution were also undertaken.
52. The key efficiency measures taken in 1997-98
have build on this:
— development of a specification for
inmates catering and implementation of internal efficiency reviews;
— implementation of measures identified
in phase one of the maintenance service action plan;
— implementation of the recommendations
of the review of stores and distribution;
— introducing new pharmacy services
arrangements in partnership with Craigavon Health Trust to improve
the quality of service provision;
— benchmarking with prisons in Great
Britain to exchange good practice.
53. A prior options review of escorting prisoners
to and from court and their supervision there has taken place
during 1997-98. This is a major exercise which is being taken
forward in close liaison with the police and other criminal justice
system agencies. One practical possibility that will be considered
is the development of remote television (or video) links for remand
and other pre-trial hearings. Enabling legislative provisions
are contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill that is currently
before Parliament.
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