HC Deb 11 January 1988 vol 125 c146W
Mr. McTaggart

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the optimum figure for prison officers and inmates at Barlinnie prison and the actual number of prison officers and inmates at the present time.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

387 is the approved complement for grades VI-VIII (the former prison officer grades)— which will be adjusted as implementation of the fresh start initiative proceeds. The number of grade VI-VIII staff assigned to Barlinnie prison on a permanent basis was 388 at 1 January 1988. Because of unusually high levels of sickness, a further 29 staff had been temporarily assigned to Barlinnie from other establishments. At that date, 21 civilian staff were also occupying specialist prison officer posts.

The design capacity is 983 (excluding segregation and hospital facilities). The number of inmates on 5 January 1988 was 1,015.