To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which (a) sections of his Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have requested money saved from efficiency savings to be used for increased pay on their 2009 pay offers to staff. (283270)

With the exception of the Northern Ireland Prison Service (an Executive Agency of the Northern Ireland Office), no sections of the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, or its NDPBs, have requested money saved from efficiency savings to be used for increased pay in their 2009 pay offers to staff.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service agreed a three-year pay and efficiency package which was implemented from 1 April 2007. The agreement was conditional on the delivery of significant efficiency savings over the period and this has been validated by the Prison Service Pay Review Body.