Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Kevin Barron

Tuesday 6th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Sir Kevin Barron (Rother Valley) (Lab)]

9. What steps she is taking to improve levels of recruitment and retention among prison officers.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Elizabeth Truss)]

A core part of our prison safety and reform plan is the recruitment of an additional 2,500 prison officers. In 10 of our most challenging prisons, we have already started a recruitment programme, and we have made 280 job offers.

[Sir Kevin Barron]

We have nearly 7,000 fewer prison officers in our prisons than in 2010. The Government have announced an increase in the prisons budget of £100 million to recruit or re-recruit an extra 2,500 officers. Is it any wonder that the service is in a mess?

[Elizabeth Truss]

In our “Prison Safety and Reform” White Paper, we make it very clear that it is important to have a skilled force of officers. That is why we are investing £100 million, which will enable us to make sure that one officer is responsible for six prisoners. Through our work, we have shown that that is effective in keeping a prison safe, and in being able to turn around the lives of offenders.