§ DR. CLARK (Caithness)asked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether it is the case that the average daily population of the prison of Perth is 620; of Glasgow 500; and Barlinnie 500; whether the English Prison Commissioners recommended in their first Annual Report that chaplains in prisons of an average population of 400 and upwards should be appointed at a salary of £300, rising to £400; whether the average daily population of Glasgow, Barlinnie, and Perth, is equal to the average daily population of Birmingham, Leeds, and Durham; and, whether prison surgeons in those prisons are appointed at a salary of £320 a-year, while in the Scotch prisons they begin at £200 a-year; and what is the reason for the difference of salary?
§ THE SECRETARY (Mr. JACKSON) (Leeds, N.)The hon. Member has now asked specific Questions about particular prisons; and, in reply, I have to inform him that the surgeons at Glasgow and Perth receive higher pay than they would in English prisons of corresponding population; while the surgeon at Barlinnie and the chaplains at all three prisons receive less, the figures given by the hon. Member being substantially accurate as regards these four officers. The Scotch scales of salary were fixed by a Committee which had full knowledge of those adopted in England. In regard to the officers who are paid at a lower rate than the English scale will give them according to population, I wish to point out that although it is so in these particular cases, there are other cases, as I have already stated, in which reductions will have to be made.
§ DR. CLARKasked, how the hon. Gentleman reconciled his answer with 34 the previous answer he had given? The Question was, whether the highest salary was £200? The answer to that Question was that that was the case. Now the hon. Gentleman told them that in the English Provincial prisons the salary was £320.
§ MR. JACKSONsaid, the hon. Member was aware that applications had been received in these particular cases where there was a disadvantage in the case of Scotland, and these applications were now under the consideration of the Treasury. If it were found necessary to make an alteration it would be made.