§ Mr. WyattTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there was in the number of front-line immigration officers between January 1988 and January 1998. [55654]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienOn 1 January 1988, the Immigration Service employed a total of 1,350 permanent immigration officers for its combined on-entry and enforcement operations. On 1 January 1998, the total figure was 1,976, of which 1,764 were in the Immigration Service Ports Directorate and 212 were in the Immigration Service Enforcement Directorate. In addition, the Assistant Immigration Officer grade was introduced in 1991. On 1 January 1998, there were 154 Assistant Immigration Officers, of whom 129 were in the Immigration Service Ports Directorate and 25 were in the Immigration Service Enforcement Directorate.