Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister has hit back at allegations made in the electronic media that work release inmates had been employed to do private work.

VSB said yesterday that a member of the public had complained that prisoners were working on a private house in Warwick and that tax payers were footing the bill.

Mr. Lister said: "In this particular case the men had been working with a particular gentlemen on a Government project. The work came to a halt and during that time he employed them privately.

"This is not something we have a problem with, it was arranged up front and the monies are paid into prison.

"In fact any private scheme in this country that chooses to take a work release prisoner into their workforce we will gladly take.

"There is nothing wrong with what happened here as long as the money, a reasonable agreed salary, goes into the prisons account." The prisoners shouldn't be getting any money directly into their pocket."

Mr. Lister refused to name the private employer but said it was a painting job.