§ MR. GULLY (Carlisle)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether three male wards, the female ward, and the reception wards at Carlisle Prison are in charge of assistant warders, and only one ward is in charge of an officer of the rank of warder; whether the senior assistant warder has been 19 years, and the junior assistant warder 10 years, in the service, and each of them in charge of a ward during the whole period of their service; when was the last promotion at Carlisle from the rank of assistant warder to that of warder; and can he hold out any hope of a speedy improvement in the position and prospects of assistant warders?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. ASQUITH,) Fife, E.There are only two ordinary wards at Carlisle Prison, one for males and one for females. The male ward is in charge of a principal warder, assisted by one warder and three assistant warders, who, for the purposes of supervision, are each assigned the charge of a section of prisoners. The female prisoners are in the charge of one female officer of the rank of warder, assisted by two of the rank of assistant warder. It is a fact that the senior assistant has been 19 years and the junior assistant 10 years in the service, but, as I have already stated, there is only one ward for male prisoners, consequently they can only have been in charge of a section. The last promotion was in November, 1881. I am informed that the Prison Commissioners are unable to hold out any hope of speedy promotion. The pay and allowances of assistant warders were, however, very considerably improved in 1891 on the recommendation of Lord De Ramsey's Committee.