2552. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated cost in 2027 if 270 recruit prison officers were recruited into Irish Prison Services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63407/26]

I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the estimated full year cost of employing 270 new Recruit Prison Officers, as per the most recent pay scales of 1st June 2026, is approximately €17.5 million, inclusive of Employers PRSI.

These pay costs reflect salary and other allowances such as the Operational Allowance (8% of annual salary). They also reflect other premium payments and the allocation of up to 360 additional hours, as provided for in the Proposal for Organisational Change. Employers PRSI of 11.4%, as with the 1 October increase from 11.25% on total earnings, is factored into the overall pay cost of the 270 posts.

As is the case with the recruitment of new staff members to an organisation, in addition to the above salary costings, there are a number of ancillary non-pay costs associated with the recruitment of a single Recruit Prison Officer, such as training, accommodation and uniform. The total current cost for such non-pay costs per Recruit Prison Officer is approximately €7,500.

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