§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of(a) staff posts and (b) actual numbers in post in each prison in England and Wales by rank, gender and race.
§ Mr. Peter Lloyd[holding answer 26 May 1994]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about staff posts and numbers in post in prisons in England and Wales.Table A lists target staffing figures (TSF) or funded posts and total staff in post at each prison on 30 April 1994. On 1 April 1993 Prison Service Headquarters devolved to governors the responsibility for recruiting prison officers and, subject to the maximum set by target staffing figures, deciding the number and mix of staff within their running costs budget. For historical reasons, some TSFs reflect former complements which were unfunded. Establishments now generally use funded posts, ie the number of posts assumed in setting the budget, as their yardstick for staffing purposes.A breakdown of prison officer grades in post at every prison, showing the numbers in each grade who are women or member of ethnic minorities is at tables B and C. A breakdown of other staff could only be produced at disproportionate cost. The readily available information in table D shows the numbers in each grade who are women or members of ethnic minorities for the Service as a whole. The figures for Doncaster, which opened on 27 June, have not been given as it is not yet fully staffed.A copy of these tables has been placed in the House of Commons library.