§ Mr. Soleyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the approximate planned increase in the num- 694W ber of prison officers during the current year and the next two years.
§ Mr. BrittanThe planned increases in the total number of outstations' non-industrial staff in post in the prison service for the relevant years are shown in table 2–9-1 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1980–81 to 1983–84"(Cmnd. 7841). Within these totals, the increase in the number of prison officers will depend on a number of variables such as the need for increases in other grades in the prison service and the rate at which new prison accommodation and new courts come into full use.
§ Mr. Soleyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the approximate average number of prisoners per prison officer.
§ Mr. BrittanThe number of prisoners per prison officer changes with fluctuations in the prison population and varies according to the type of establishment concerned; a high security prison would, for instance, have a higher staff/inmate ratio than a local prison. On 1 July 1980 the average ratio of prison officer class in post to prisoners in all penal establishments in England and Wales was 1: 2–68.