§ 43. Mr. Danceasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposals submitted by the Prison Officers' Association 93W for a review of the existing arrangements for compensation for the dependants of prison officers killed in the course of their duty and for officers disabled as a result of assaults.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThese proposals raise a number of difficult issues which are receiving urgent and careful consideration. A reply will be sent to the Prison Officers' Association as soon as possible.
§ 54. Mr. Woodnuttasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of compensation available to the widows of prison officers killed in the performance of their duty, and to prison officers disabled during the performance of their duty; and what improvements and increases in benefits he intends introducing.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsI would refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Dorset, South (Mr. Evelyn King) on 17th November 1965 and to the hon. and gallant Member for Portsmouth, West (Brigadier Clarke) and the right hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Deedes) on 16th December 1965.
§ 55. Mr. Woodnuttasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of assault have taken place in Her Majesty's prisons in each of the eight quarters in the two years ended 31st December 1965; and how many prison officers joined and left the service, respectively, during the year ended 31st December 1965.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe latest available figures for offences involving violence against the person under the Prison Rules are those for 1964 and are published in Appendix 8 to the Report on the Work of the Prison Department for that year (Cmnd. 2708). Figures on a quarterly basis are not available.
438 established men and 40 established women officers were appointed to the prison service during the year ended 31st December, 1965. 295 men and 35 women officers retired or resigned during the same period.
§ 68. Mr. Tomneyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the deficiency in the authorised com- 94W plement of staff of prison officers at Her Majesty's Prison Wormwood Scrubs on 1st December, 1965.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsOn 1st December, 1965, there was a deficiency of two in the authorised complement of 139 basic grade discipline officers, and of seven in the authorised complement of night patrols. As a result, it has been necessary for seven discipline officers to undertake night patrol duties.
§ 69. Mr. Tomneyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he estimates that prison officers' conditions of work will be improved so as to allow a 5-day, 40-hour week.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsDiscussions with the Prison Officers' Association about the recent experiment with a five-day, forty-hour week at five prison service establishments will take place as soon as both sides have had time to evaluate its results.
§ Mr. Tomneyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional officers he estimates will be required to allow a system of attendance to operate effectively, so that prison officers might have reasonable rest periods; and what action he proposes to take to secure the additional staff required.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsA review of the authorised strength of all prison service establishments which work on a single shift basis would be required if agreement were reached on the introduction of a five-day, forty-hour week. In the meantime all existing methods of recruiting additional staff, including display advertising, will continue to be used.