I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the following table sets out the number of Prison Grade staff who left the Irish Prison Service from 2017 to date; and the number of Recruit Prison Officers who have joined from 2017 to date. It should be noted that the figures for staff which have left includes resignations, retirements and deaths in service.
Year
|
Number of Prison Grade Staff who left the Irish Prison Service
|
2019
|
104 (up to 19/10/2019)
|
2018
|
124
|
2017
|
147
|
|
|
Year
|
Number of Recruit Prison Officers who joined the Irish Prison Service
|
2019
|
167 (up to 19/10/2019)
|
2018
|
181
|
2017
|
86
|
|
|
Finally, the Deputy may be interested to know that it is anticipated that a new recruitment campaign for the Irish Prison Service will commence in Quarter 1, 2020. In the usual way, bearing in mind factors including retirement of existing staff, it can be expected that further recruitment will be necessary over the coming years in order for the Irish Prison Service to continue to provide safe and secure custody for those in their care.