Prison officer security revealed

The unions are threatening strike action at prisons across the UK

Up to £20,000 is being spent on security for each of the 1,400 prison officers whose details were discovered in the hands of the IRA, the director general of the Prison Service in Northern Ireland has said.

Peter Russell was speaking ahead of talks in London with the Prison Officers' Association, which are aimed at averting a UK-wide strike.

It is illegal for prison officers to strike, but the union has insisted it will go ahead with the move anyway, without carrying out a ballot.

Prisons management, the union at local and national level and the prisons' minister Jane Kennedy are expected to take part in Wednesday's talks.

The talks are about the security response after it was discovered in October 2002 that the personal details of some 1,400 officers had fallen into the hands of the IRA.

However, the union says the £20,000 being spent on security measures at many of their members' homes is not enough.

Mr Russell said he can't be confident of a positive outcome

Finlay Spratt of the Prison Officers' Association described the security package offered as "inadequate".

He said the measures had been "imposed" on prison officers and that he was "appalled" that Mr Russell had publicly spelt out the type of security that had recently been installed at homes.

So far, Mrs Kennedy has refused to spend more on security at prison officers' homes which has led to a stand off ahead of the talks.

On Tuesday, Mr Russell said he hoped things were not moving in that direction but added that such was the mood among officers, he could not be confident of a positive outcome on Wednesday.

In the continuing security row, officers twice left their posts in November.

Police officers were called into the jails and the chief constable has presented that bill for police time to the prison service.

We have had to fight every inch of the way to get protection for our officers and their families. Finlay Spratt Prison Officers Association

However, they want the union to meet the costs.

On Tuesday, Mr Russell confirmed the service had taken out a writ to recover the money from the POA.

However, Mr Spratt said the union would not be covering the cost of police back up.

"We take no pride in the fact that we have to go on strike, we shouldn't have to go on strike," he said.

"I have represented prison officers for 27 years in Northern Ireland and we have had to fight every inch of the way to get protection for our officers and their families.

"We shouldn't have to do that."

Industrial action was threatened in October following attacks on five members of staff at the high security Maghaberry prison outside Lisburn, County Antrim.

A number of homes of serving and former prison officers have also been attacked.

These attacks were linked to a prisoners' dispute at the jail.

In September, a review of safety at Maghaberry recommended separating republican and loyalist prisoners.

The move was introduced in the wake of violent clashes between rival groups in the jail and in the face of a "dirty protest" by a group of dissident republican prisoners.

As well as paramilitary prisoners, Maghaberry houses male and female prisoners, whether they are convicted or on remand, and a number of asylum seekers.