Michael Ring
Ceist:320 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when the next open competition will be scheduled for the position of prison officer. [28205/00]
Written Answers. - Prison Staff.
I am informed by the Director General of the Irish Prisons Service that the last competition for recruitment of prison officers was held in 1998, and recruitment from this competition is expected to continue into 2001. The campaign, which is run by the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission, was initiated to cater for the new prisons coming on stream, to fill shortfalls which existed and to cater for natural wastage.
This competition, together with some extra recruitment from an earlier competition held in 1995, has, to date, yielded an intake of over 800 prison officers. Given that competitions are in train to fill vacancies in the higher grades in the Prison Service, consequential vacancies will arise. The Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission is currently recruiting from the 1998 competition to cater for vacancies expected from this promotion campaign. Discussions will take place soon with the commission on the question of holding a new competition.