Bernard J. Durkan
Question:196 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the degree to which the number of prison officers is sufficient to meet requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11225/01]
Written Answers - Prison Staff.
There are 3,229 staff attached to the Prisons Service, of whom some 846 have been recruited since 1997. They have approximately 3,200 prisoners in their care on a daily basis.
I am advised by the Director General of the Prisons Service that the existing number of prison officers is considered adequate to meet present operational requirements. In the longer term var ious changes to current operational practices are contemplated which may have implications for staff numbers in the prisons. Discussions in this respect with the Prison Officers' Association in a special working group are taking place. The framework for these discussions is a series of reports prepared by a staffing review team for the Prisons Service which has recently finalised its work.
Without prejudice to these discussions and to allow for future staffing requirements it has been decided to interview a further group of candidates from a competition held in 1998 and fur thermore it is intended to advertise for a new competition in the autumn.