asked the Minister for Justice the present position in relation to the recruitment of staff for the prison service.
Written Answers. - Prison Staff Recruitment.
59.
A competition for the recruitment of prison officers was advertised by the Civil Service Commission in January 1986 and interviewing of applicants is still continuing.
Recruits are now being taken into the prison service and are being trained. To date, 83 officers have been recruited to fill 99 existing vacancies, including posts held by temporary officers, and 184 new posts sanctioned some weeks ago by the Government. It is planned to recruit up to 90 additional officers by the end of the year and the balance in 1987.