§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many current vacancies there are for prison officers; and how many officers have left the service in the last 12 months.
§ Mr. JohnOn 1st March 1978 there were 14,365 prison officers in post in England and Wales, 575 fewer than the total of 14,940 approved for the financial year 1977–78. In the 11 months ended 1st March 1978 677 officers left the service and 954 joined, a net gain of 277.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, when giving consideration to the question of the pay of police in the light of the forthcoming Edmund-Davies Report, he will also give consideration to adjusting the pay and conditions of prison officers on a similar basis to that of the police.
§ Mr. JohnNo. Prison officers are civil servants whose pay and conditions of service fall to be considered, in accordance with the report of the Committee on Remuneration and Conditions of Service of Certain Grades in the Prison Service (Cmnd 544), under the Civil Service agreement on pay, hours and leave. An offer for the pay settlement due from 1st April 1978 to non-industrial civil servants, including prison officers, was made last month.