§ Lord Graham of Edmontonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prison officers have been assaulted during prison escorts in each of the last 10 years; what type of escort vehicle was being used in each case; what was the nature of the assaults sustained by prison officers; and how many prison officers were medically retired as a result of the injuries sustained.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)Responsibility for the subject of this Question has been delegated to the prison service and its Director General, Mr. Derek Lewis. The Director General has therefore responded to the Question and his letter is given below.
Number of prison stuff injured during escapes and attempted escapes from escort Incident 20 June 1988–31 December 1988 1 January 1989–31 December 1989 1 January 1990–31 December 1990 1 January 1991–31 December 1991 1 January 1992–31 December 1992 1 January 1993–30 June 1993 Escape from escort 21 19 19 40 38 23 Attempted escape from escort 14 5 20 19 21 13 Total 35 24 39 59 59 36 The type of vehicle used to transport these prisoners is not necessarily recorded and these details could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The nature of the injuries sustained by prison officers when assaulted are also not recorded centrally.
The total numbers of all Home Office staff, including prison officers, who were prematurely retired for ill-health reasons in the previous 10 years is shown in the table below. Prison officers constitute the majority of these retirements although the exact proportion varies from year to year. It would not be possible to determine the exact number of prison officers retired prematurely for the specific reason requested except at disproportionate cost.
72WA
Home Office retirements on ill health grounds Year Number retired 1983 103 1984 126 1985 162 1986 210 1987 266 1988 229 1989 308 1990 338 1991 351 1992 408 1993 204 Total 2,705 Letter from Mr. Derek Lewis, Director General of HM Prison Service, to Lord Graham of Edmonton:
Earl Ferrers has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking for the number of prison officers who have been assaulted during prison escorts in each of the last 10 years; what type of escort vehicle was being used in each case; what was the nature of the assaults sustained by prison officers; and how many prison officers were medically retired as a result of the injuries sustained.
The numbers of prison staff assaulted while performing escort duties arc not recorded centrally. However, the following table shows the numbers of prison staff reported as having been injured during the course of incidents of prisoners escaping from escort or attempting to escape from escort. Records prior to 20th June 1988 are not available.