§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers(a) joined and (b) left the prison service in each of the years 1983 to 1990; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe numbers who have joined and left the prison officer grades—main grade, senior officer and principal officer—are as follows:
(a) Joined (b) Left1 1983 1,189 599 1984–85 1,235 652 1985–86 997 771 1986–87 934 614 1987–88 1,664 644 1988–89 2,372 794 1989–90 1,555 936 1 Mainly retirements but the figures include those leaving the service for other reasons as well as those who left the officer grades on promotion to the governor grades. The prison service has been recruiting an unprecedented number of new prison officers since the introduction of fresh start in 1987. There are now over 20 per cent. more prison officers in post than in April 1987. The service has no difficulty in attracting sufficient numbers of suitable recruits and remains on course to meet all the targets set when fresh start was introduced.