asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what figures are available regarding the amount paid to prison officers for overtime work and/ or special allowances (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the salary bill.

In the financial year 1977–78 a total of £82·96million was paid to prison officers in England and Wales in respect of wages, overtime, and allowances. Overtime payments accounted for £18·18 million—21·9 per cent. of the total—and allowances for £16·81 million–20·3 per cent. The figure for overtime payments does not include continuous duty credit payments for the period, which are being made retrospectively during the current financial year.