§ Lord Harris of Greenwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the staff/inmate ratio in Her Majesty's prisons on 1st October in 1938, 1948, 1958, 1968, 1978, 1987.
The Earl of CaithnessThe ratio of prison officers to prisoners on 31st December 1948. 1958, 1968, 1978 and on 1st September 1987. the nearest date for which figures are available, was:
1948 M 1:6.86 F 1:6.73 1958 M 1:4.90 F 1:3.40 1968 M 1:3.91 F 1:3.30 1978 M 1:2.78 F 1:2.03 1987 M 1:2.72 F 1:1.83 Information for 1938 is not available.