Understaffed and overworked, prison warders would have to do with a reduced budget for salaries and overtime, according to Labour home affairs spokesman Michael Falzon.

Lower spending on salaries shows no intention to increase number of warders

Giving details of budgetary cuts at Corradino Correctional Facility as part of the government’s drive to reduce its expenditure by €40 million, Dr Falzon said the lower spending on salaries indicated there was no intention to increase the number of warders.

He said the wage Bill approved in Budget 2012 was being cut by €51,000 and the overtime budget was being reduced by €337,000.

Dr Falzon pointed out that staff shortages over the years were compensated by warders working overtime. “It is worrying to know how the situation in prison will be for warders following these cuts,” he said.

He expressed concern at the €10,000 cut in the budget for the prison drug rehabilitation programme. “This happened despite the government’s declarations it was committed to fighting drugs in prison.”

Spending on the education and training of inmates was also being cut by €5,000, Dr Falzon said.

Reacting to the comments, the government accused the opposition of ignoring the positive impact the reparative justice reform had on the correctional facility. As a result, the Home Affairs Ministry said probation and parole now formed one department with a recurrent expenditure of €477,000.

The ministry said the total recurrent expenditure on prisoner reform was €9.1 million, an increase of €225,000 over last year.

Labour Gozo spokesman Anton Refalo gave details of spending cuts at the Gozo Ministry.

The government, he said, was reducing the budget allocation for salaries despite a commitment to generate jobs for Gozitans in Gozo. “This means vacancies will not all be filled.”

Dr Refalo noted that while Gozo was seriously lacking in government services to the elderly, €20,000 were cut from the budget allocated to the home help service.

The tourism school would also see its budget slashed by €42,000 and this would have to do with just €78,000, he added.

The Gozo Ministry said that despite the cuts this year’s budget allocation for Gozo was still €2.3 million more than in 2011.