§ MR. GODFREY BARING (Isle of Wight)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the recent outbreak amongst the prisoners in His Majesty's Prison at Gloucester and the subsequent escape of four men, he has any official reports showing that the present staff of officers in local prisons is sufficient to secure the safe custody of prisoners.
§ *MR. GLADSTONEThere are no such reports, but every representation from the governor of a prison to the effect that his staff is insufficient is very carefully considered, and when an increase of staff is proved to be necessary it is always granted. The outbreak at Gloucester was not due to any insufficiency of staff, but to an unfortunate neglect by one of the officers on duty of an elementary precaution, viz., that not more than one cell door shall be unlocked at the same time when work is being removed from the prisoners' cells previously to locking up the prison.
§ MR. CLAUDE HAY (Shoreditch, Hoxton)Has the right hon. Gentleman had any representation with regard to discipline in this prison?
§ *MR. GLADSTONEThat hardly arises on this Question.