To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Government meets its target of recruiting 2,500 new prison officers by December 2018; what progress has been made on meeting that target; and if he will make a statement.
Answered on
27 February 2018
In 2016 the former Secretary of State announced HMPPS would be recruiting an additional 2,500 prison officers by December 2018. Good progress is being made to hit this target, with 1,970 additional officers recruited by 31st December 2017. These new staff will reduce the need for Detached Duty.
A further 1,582 new recruits have been offered roles and are booked onto Prison Officer Training (POELT) courses, meaning the Government is on target to recruit the 2,500 officers nine months ahead of schedule.
The HMPPS workforce statistics published on 15 February 2018 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-december-2017