The first paramilitary prisoners who qualify for early release under the Belfast Agreement will be out of jail by September, the head of the Northern Ireland prison service, Mr Alan Shannon, has said.
Some 1,000 jobs will be lost in the North's prisons over the next two years as a result of the early release scheme, representing 40 per cent of the total number employed.
"If the accelerated release scheme proceeds as the political agreement envisages, then we could be looking at something in the region of 1,000 posts going over the next couple of years," Mr Shannon said yesterday on BBC Radio Ulster.
The annual report of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, published yesterday, covers a period when there were two murders and one escape at the high-security Maze Prison. Mr Shannon admitted it was "a very difficult year" when "major lapses of security" took place.
The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, is currently drawing up a list of paramilitary organisations whose prisoners will be eligible to apply for early release. An announcement is due today or early tomorrow.
It is expected that the list will include those organisations linked to political parties involved in the talks, namely the IRA, the UDA/UFF and the UVF. She is likely to come under pressure from unionists over the case of the IRA, because of police confirmation that it was linked to the murder last weekend in Belfast of Mr Andrew Kearney.
Dr Mowlam will also consider the case of the LVF, which called a ceasefire in the run-up to this year's Drumcree parade. The INLA is not on ceasefire.
A Sentence Review Commission, which has been set up to examine each individual prisoner's application for early release, will hold its first formal meeting next week, Mr Shannon said.
"They will be in touch with prisoners fairly shortly. Applications will then be made. While it is difficult for me to predict, because they are independent and they will be determining their own working methods, I would envisage applications being received within the next couple of weeks and decisions on release being made towards the end of August," Mr Shannon added.
Some 400 prisoners are likely to be eligible for the early release scheme. The Maze Prison, where the vast majority of the North's paramilitary inmates are housed, will "see a fairly rapid, progressive run-down" over the next two years, Mr Shannon said.
The prison head, who will shortly be leaving the post after seven years, said the service was considering whether there would continue to be new committals to the Maze Prison.
Mr Shannon said discussions were ongoing about the terms of redundancy for prison staff. He accepted the envisaged 40 per cent decrease in staff would be "extremely traumatic".
Mr Finlay Spratt, of the Prison Officers' Association, said members would be looking to the government to see that they are adequately compensated. He said he expected some prison officers to be offered redundancy before Christmas.