§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nurses and doctors are employed within the Prison Service per 100 inmates. [16702]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 26 February 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of nurses and doctors employed within the Prison Service per 100 inmates.Information on the whole time equivalents of part time health care staff, which would alow an accurate comparison per 100 inmates, is not available centrally.The available information is set out in the table below.
Numbers of full time and part time Health Care Staff (excluding Health Care Governors) Staff Number Doctors 270 Nursing grades 600 Health Care Officers 1,037 Total 1,907 The prison population as at 21 February was 53,040.