HC Deb 19 February 1959 vol 600 cc522-3
18. Mr. C. Pannell

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the numbers of men who applied to enrol in the prison service in each year over the past five years, stating the number of those who were in terviewed, the number who were rejected during a probationary period, and the numbers finally accepted, in England and Wales, and for Her Majesty's Prison, Armley, Leeds, separately.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Lord Privy Seal (Mr. R. A. Butler)

As the Answer involves a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Pannell

Does the Home Secretary appreciate that that reply is rather unsatisfactory? I have waited a long time for these figures and it would have been much more convenient to question the right hon. Gentleman on the Floor of the House about the high number of entrants and the relatively low number who get through. Is he aware that I have pursued this matter over a large number of years, that it has been raised in debate and that no one, least of all the right hon. Gentleman, could be satisfied with that sort of figures?

Mr. Butler

I do not know what the hon. Member means by "that sort of figures". The table would take at least five minutes to assimilate and about a

RECRUITMENT FIGURES OF PRISON OFFICERS (MEN) FOR THE YEARS 1954–1958 FOR APPLICANTS FROM THE WHOLE OF ENGLAND AND WALES AND FROM THE LEEDS AREA
1 2
Total for England and Wales Leeds
1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958
Applications received 4,062 2,664 2,404 4,490 5,630 (all applications are addressed to the Prison Commissioners).
Interviewed 3,766 2,497 2,316 4,294 5,255 179 132 124 236 299
Rejected on interview 1,402 839 645 1,366 1,754 86 62 52 119 159
Medically unfit 541 363 316 513 592 19 14 15 16 21
Rejected on references, and further check on height, etc 692 418 358 626 697 20 12 6 22 12
Failed training 262 152 58 123 215 15 3 1 4 10
Passed training 218 233 201 490 506 11 15 24 33 28
(1) The figures on the chart are not self-contained since there is a carrying over from one year to another of applications at intermediate stages of consideration.
(2) The figures of applicants interviewed and rejected do not include persons who withdrew, resigned, failed to join for training, or who were advised to apply later.