§ Mr. McENTEEasked the Home Secretary whether the number of subordinate officers at Pentonville Prison is now sufficient without having to call in the officers during their normal alternate week-ends off duty; if not, how many officers are being called in; and what action, if any, does he contemplate taking in order that the prison may be properly staffed
§ Sir J. GILMOURThe turns of duty of prison officers are so arranged that so far as practicable each officer shall have two free days every second week-end. At Pentonville the number of officers 669W called in from the off-duty division on Saturday or Sunday does not exceed four out of a staff of 104, and no officer has had his week-end interrupted in this way more than three or four times in a year. An officer so called in is given equivalent time off in the following week. If no such occasional calls were allowed, the ordinary week-clay staff would have to be increased beyond the requirements of the Service, and the expense of this would not be warranted.
§ Mr. McENTEEasked the Home Secretary if the prisons now contain their normal complement of officers in order that safe custody may be assured; what is the attitude of the Prison Commissioners to the requests for more officers for Bedford prison; and what action, if any, does he intend to take?
§ Sir J. GILMOUROn the general question of the staffing of prisons, I would refer to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 19th March last. No requests for more officers have been received from Bedford Prison.
§ Mr. McENTEEasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that a number of prison officers have recently left the prison service as a result of the low pay and lack of promotion; that at Wandsworth Prison an officer resigned to tyke a post as an omnibus conductor; and what action is to be taken in response to the pressure by the prison officers representative board at nearly every half-yearly meeting for approximately ten years as to the need of improving the subordinate officer's scales of pay and his prospects of promotion?
§ Sir J. GILMOURDuring the 12 months ended 30th June, nine male discipline officers resigned from the Prison Service out of a staff of about 2,000. In two cases the reasons for resignation are unknown. In the remaining seven cases the reasons were other than those suggested in the question. As regards the latter part of the question, the pay and670W conditions of service of prison officers were considered by the Stanhope Committee in 1923, and, as has been explained to the officers, it is not practicable at the present time to re-open the question.