HC Deb 29 June 1984 vol 62 c539W
Mr. Frank Field

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilian and prison officer instructors are currently employed in prison workshops; and how these figures compare with the official complement.

Mr. Hurd

There are 752 civilian instructors and 363 prison officer instructors employed in industrial workshops in prison service establishments: a total of 1,115. This compares with an authorised complement of 1,293.

Average number of prisoners employed Average working week Total man-hours worked Value of output Residual Surplus/deficit
'000s (hours) (millions) £ million £ million
1974–75 13.4 24.5 17.07 13.3 0.2
1975–76 14.4 23.5 17.57 17.4 ( 0.5)
1976–77 14.6 22.0 16.70 17.5 ( 2.3)
1977–78 14.2 22.5 16.60 20.5 ( 2.8)
1978–79 13.6 22.5 15.86 22.9 ( 4.9)
1979–80 12.9 22.0 14.85 26.5 ( 4.7)
1980–81 12.2 19.0 9.96 24.3 (12.7)
1981–82 12.2 21.5 11.61 31.4 (12.2)
1982–83 11.5 22.9 11.60 31.6 (11.6)
1983–84 10.7 22.3 10.84 n/a n/a

Because of improvements in the methods by which the financial data shown in the last two columns of the table is collected and analysed the figures for the years prior to 1982–83 are not directly comparable with the subsequent years. In particular, it should be noted that for the above reasons and because of the internal nature of many of the transactions neither the value of output nor the residual surplus/deficit can be considered as sales or profit or loss in a strict accountancy sense. All figures to some extent include estimates and notional costs. The figures shown relate only to Prison Industries, that is they exclude farms and gardens activities.

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