Written questions by Morris.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of prison officer salary levels on staff retention rates.

The 2024/25 Prison Service pay award delivered a pay rise of at 5% for all Band 3 – 5 Prison Officers on modernised terms and conditions. This brings the starting salary for an entry level officer (on the national rate, 39 hours with unsocial hours) from £32,851 to £34,494.As of 30 September 2024, there are 23,571 Band 3-5 Full Time Equivalent Prison Officers in post, and nationally across establishments we are at 99.5% of our Target Staffing Figure (when using hours adjusted FTE). We have seen indications of an improving retention picture in the past two years – as of September 2024, the resignation rate for Band 3-5 prison officers was 8.5%, which is an improvement of 3 percentage points since September 2022 (11.5%).When asked about their primary reason for leaving the prison service, Pay and Reward no longer consistently features in the top five reasons for leaving as cited by staff in exit interviews.

What recent estimate she has made of the level of pay rise required by prison officers for salaries to be at the same real-terms levels as they were in 2010.

Pay for Prison Officers is informed by independent recommendations made by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB).HMPPS’ written evidence to the PSPRB for 2025/26 was published on 10 December 2025. This noted that the rate of economic growth since the global financial crisis of 2008 has been substantially lower than in previous decades. Annual real productivity growth (GDP per hour worked) fell by around 1.5% from an average of 2.1% in the decade prior to 2008, to 0.6% between 2010 and 2019. Higher productivity enables higher wages, and only sustained productivity growth over the medium-term can deliver sustainable long-run economic growth and real-terms wage rises.In making their independent recommendations, the PSPRB takes account of the written and oral evidence submitted by Government as well as evidence and representations made by the recognised Trade Unions, including the Prison Officers’ Association. The PSPRB considers a range of factors such as private sector wage growth, inflation, and future Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts.

What recent estimate she has made of the prison maintenance backlog.

We will shortly be publishing an ad-hoc report on the prison estate conditions survey, which will contain information on the maintenance implications.HMPPS is investing up to £220 million on maintenance this financial year 2024/25. We will continue to invest in the HMPPS estate in 2025-26, up to £300 million on maintenance to keep prisons safe and secure.

How many magistrates courts closed in each year since 2010.

The table below shows the number of Magistrates’ Courts that have permanently closed in each financial year (FY) since 2010/11. The figures do not include integrations, where workload remained in the local area by transferring to a building in close proximity, or courts that are temporarily closed.Financial YearMagistrates' Courts closed2010/1112011/12842012/1352013/1442014/1552015/1662016/17402017/18122018/1942019/2042020/2102021/2202022/2302023/2402024/250

What steps she is taking to recruit more prison officers.

We have inherited a prison system crisis. For far too long, our hardworking staff have had to face the brunt of prison overcrowding, which has damaged morale and put the safety and security of staff at risk. This is one of the reasons why we have taken difficult but necessary action to rescue the prison system from the point of collapse. We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes. On recruitment, nationally we are currently above target staffing levels for prison officers, although challenges remain in some sites with a high number of vacancies. Recruitment efforts will continue at all sites with a current or projected future need, and we have a number of targeted recruitment interventions that can be deployed where needed. There are no specific expectations in terms of experience for a new prison officer, but all new joiners have to pass an assessment process, and complete at least 10 weeks’ training prior to starting their roles. The loss of staff post-Covid has meant that we have significant numbers of prison officers who have recently been recruited. Due to this large intake of new staff, many colleagues lack experience – with over 40% of Band 3-5 prison officers having less than 3 years of experience. We are focused on retaining our dedicated staff, but we know it takes time to build confidence, capability, and the jailcraft skills that are essential to improve the system. HMPPS have in place over 150 New Colleague Mentors across the estate to provide support for all new staff and improve the onboarding process. HMPPS also provides colleagues with its ‘Career Pathways Framework’. This equips staff with information on career options and the variety of job roles available in HMPPS, as well as learning and development programmes. On prison officer joiners and leavers, data can be found in Tab 8 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication, with Tables 1 and 2 showing the number of joiners and leavers in each year to the end of March over the last 5 years, as well as the latest data in the year to the end of June. We have not included Bands 4 and 5 in the joiner data, as we recruit these grades through promotion, apart from re-instatements. Table 1 – Prison Officer joinersTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)4,7382,3012,4093,8424,3124,8184,819 Table 2 – Prison Officer leaversTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Band 5 / Custodial Managers6591789197103104Band 4 / Supervising Officer13816588155156138138Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)2,4372,5961,9503,1413,0782,9072,926 To provide the number of prison officers in supervisory roles with less than one year’s experience, we have provided data on Band 4 Supervising Officers, whose role includes overseeing the daily regime of a wing or area of the prison. Tab 4 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication gives data on staff length of service for the main operational grades, including Band 3-5 officers. On 30 June 2024 there were four 'Band 4 / Supervising Officer' prison officers in post who had less than one year's experience. The length of service is calculated from the most recent hire date within HMPPS, not from them starting a specific role. It should be noted that if these members of staff were previously employed by HMPPS, left and rejoined, only their latest service would be counted.

What incentives are in place to retain experienced prison officers.

We have inherited a prison system crisis. For far too long, our hardworking staff have had to face the brunt of prison overcrowding, which has damaged morale and put the safety and security of staff at risk. This is one of the reasons why we have taken difficult but necessary action to rescue the prison system from the point of collapse. We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes. On recruitment, nationally we are currently above target staffing levels for prison officers, although challenges remain in some sites with a high number of vacancies. Recruitment efforts will continue at all sites with a current or projected future need, and we have a number of targeted recruitment interventions that can be deployed where needed. There are no specific expectations in terms of experience for a new prison officer, but all new joiners have to pass an assessment process, and complete at least 10 weeks’ training prior to starting their roles. The loss of staff post-Covid has meant that we have significant numbers of prison officers who have recently been recruited. Due to this large intake of new staff, many colleagues lack experience – with over 40% of Band 3-5 prison officers having less than 3 years of experience. We are focused on retaining our dedicated staff, but we know it takes time to build confidence, capability, and the jailcraft skills that are essential to improve the system. HMPPS have in place over 150 New Colleague Mentors across the estate to provide support for all new staff and improve the onboarding process. HMPPS also provides colleagues with its ‘Career Pathways Framework’. This equips staff with information on career options and the variety of job roles available in HMPPS, as well as learning and development programmes. On prison officer joiners and leavers, data can be found in Tab 8 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication, with Tables 1 and 2 showing the number of joiners and leavers in each year to the end of March over the last 5 years, as well as the latest data in the year to the end of June. We have not included Bands 4 and 5 in the joiner data, as we recruit these grades through promotion, apart from re-instatements. Table 1 – Prison Officer joinersTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)4,7382,3012,4093,8424,3124,8184,819 Table 2 – Prison Officer leaversTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Band 5 / Custodial Managers6591789197103104Band 4 / Supervising Officer13816588155156138138Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)2,4372,5961,9503,1413,0782,9072,926 To provide the number of prison officers in supervisory roles with less than one year’s experience, we have provided data on Band 4 Supervising Officers, whose role includes overseeing the daily regime of a wing or area of the prison. Tab 4 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication gives data on staff length of service for the main operational grades, including Band 3-5 officers. On 30 June 2024 there were four 'Band 4 / Supervising Officer' prison officers in post who had less than one year's experience. The length of service is calculated from the most recent hire date within HMPPS, not from them starting a specific role. It should be noted that if these members of staff were previously employed by HMPPS, left and rejoined, only their latest service would be counted.

How many prison officers have (a) joined and (b) left service in each of the last five years.

We have inherited a prison system crisis. For far too long, our hardworking staff have had to face the brunt of prison overcrowding, which has damaged morale and put the safety and security of staff at risk. This is one of the reasons why we have taken difficult but necessary action to rescue the prison system from the point of collapse. We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes. On recruitment, nationally we are currently above target staffing levels for prison officers, although challenges remain in some sites with a high number of vacancies. Recruitment efforts will continue at all sites with a current or projected future need, and we have a number of targeted recruitment interventions that can be deployed where needed. There are no specific expectations in terms of experience for a new prison officer, but all new joiners have to pass an assessment process, and complete at least 10 weeks’ training prior to starting their roles. The loss of staff post-Covid has meant that we have significant numbers of prison officers who have recently been recruited. Due to this large intake of new staff, many colleagues lack experience – with over 40% of Band 3-5 prison officers having less than 3 years of experience. We are focused on retaining our dedicated staff, but we know it takes time to build confidence, capability, and the jailcraft skills that are essential to improve the system. HMPPS have in place over 150 New Colleague Mentors across the estate to provide support for all new staff and improve the onboarding process. HMPPS also provides colleagues with its ‘Career Pathways Framework’. This equips staff with information on career options and the variety of job roles available in HMPPS, as well as learning and development programmes. On prison officer joiners and leavers, data can be found in Tab 8 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication, with Tables 1 and 2 showing the number of joiners and leavers in each year to the end of March over the last 5 years, as well as the latest data in the year to the end of June. We have not included Bands 4 and 5 in the joiner data, as we recruit these grades through promotion, apart from re-instatements. Table 1 – Prison Officer joinersTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)4,7382,3012,4093,8424,3124,8184,819 Table 2 – Prison Officer leaversTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Band 5 / Custodial Managers6591789197103104Band 4 / Supervising Officer13816588155156138138Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)2,4372,5961,9503,1413,0782,9072,926 To provide the number of prison officers in supervisory roles with less than one year’s experience, we have provided data on Band 4 Supervising Officers, whose role includes overseeing the daily regime of a wing or area of the prison. Tab 4 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication gives data on staff length of service for the main operational grades, including Band 3-5 officers. On 30 June 2024 there were four 'Band 4 / Supervising Officer' prison officers in post who had less than one year's experience. The length of service is calculated from the most recent hire date within HMPPS, not from them starting a specific role. It should be noted that if these members of staff were previously employed by HMPPS, left and rejoined, only their latest service would be counted.

How many prison officers in supervisory roles have less than one year's experience.

We have inherited a prison system crisis. For far too long, our hardworking staff have had to face the brunt of prison overcrowding, which has damaged morale and put the safety and security of staff at risk. This is one of the reasons why we have taken difficult but necessary action to rescue the prison system from the point of collapse. We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes. On recruitment, nationally we are currently above target staffing levels for prison officers, although challenges remain in some sites with a high number of vacancies. Recruitment efforts will continue at all sites with a current or projected future need, and we have a number of targeted recruitment interventions that can be deployed where needed. There are no specific expectations in terms of experience for a new prison officer, but all new joiners have to pass an assessment process, and complete at least 10 weeks’ training prior to starting their roles. The loss of staff post-Covid has meant that we have significant numbers of prison officers who have recently been recruited. Due to this large intake of new staff, many colleagues lack experience – with over 40% of Band 3-5 prison officers having less than 3 years of experience. We are focused on retaining our dedicated staff, but we know it takes time to build confidence, capability, and the jailcraft skills that are essential to improve the system. HMPPS have in place over 150 New Colleague Mentors across the estate to provide support for all new staff and improve the onboarding process. HMPPS also provides colleagues with its ‘Career Pathways Framework’. This equips staff with information on career options and the variety of job roles available in HMPPS, as well as learning and development programmes. On prison officer joiners and leavers, data can be found in Tab 8 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication, with Tables 1 and 2 showing the number of joiners and leavers in each year to the end of March over the last 5 years, as well as the latest data in the year to the end of June. We have not included Bands 4 and 5 in the joiner data, as we recruit these grades through promotion, apart from re-instatements. Table 1 – Prison Officer joinersTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)4,7382,3012,4093,8424,3124,8184,819 Table 2 – Prison Officer leaversTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Band 5 / Custodial Managers6591789197103104Band 4 / Supervising Officer13816588155156138138Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)2,4372,5961,9503,1413,0782,9072,926 To provide the number of prison officers in supervisory roles with less than one year’s experience, we have provided data on Band 4 Supervising Officers, whose role includes overseeing the daily regime of a wing or area of the prison. Tab 4 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication gives data on staff length of service for the main operational grades, including Band 3-5 officers. On 30 June 2024 there were four 'Band 4 / Supervising Officer' prison officers in post who had less than one year's experience. The length of service is calculated from the most recent hire date within HMPPS, not from them starting a specific role. It should be noted that if these members of staff were previously employed by HMPPS, left and rejoined, only their latest service would be counted.

What steps she is taking to increase cumulative prison officer experience.

We have inherited a prison system crisis. For far too long, our hardworking staff have had to face the brunt of prison overcrowding, which has damaged morale and put the safety and security of staff at risk. This is one of the reasons why we have taken difficult but necessary action to rescue the prison system from the point of collapse. We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes. On recruitment, nationally we are currently above target staffing levels for prison officers, although challenges remain in some sites with a high number of vacancies. Recruitment efforts will continue at all sites with a current or projected future need, and we have a number of targeted recruitment interventions that can be deployed where needed. There are no specific expectations in terms of experience for a new prison officer, but all new joiners have to pass an assessment process, and complete at least 10 weeks’ training prior to starting their roles. The loss of staff post-Covid has meant that we have significant numbers of prison officers who have recently been recruited. Due to this large intake of new staff, many colleagues lack experience – with over 40% of Band 3-5 prison officers having less than 3 years of experience. We are focused on retaining our dedicated staff, but we know it takes time to build confidence, capability, and the jailcraft skills that are essential to improve the system. HMPPS have in place over 150 New Colleague Mentors across the estate to provide support for all new staff and improve the onboarding process. HMPPS also provides colleagues with its ‘Career Pathways Framework’. This equips staff with information on career options and the variety of job roles available in HMPPS, as well as learning and development programmes. On prison officer joiners and leavers, data can be found in Tab 8 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication, with Tables 1 and 2 showing the number of joiners and leavers in each year to the end of March over the last 5 years, as well as the latest data in the year to the end of June. We have not included Bands 4 and 5 in the joiner data, as we recruit these grades through promotion, apart from re-instatements. Table 1 – Prison Officer joinersTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)4,7382,3012,4093,8424,3124,8184,819 Table 2 – Prison Officer leaversTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Band 5 / Custodial Managers6591789197103104Band 4 / Supervising Officer13816588155156138138Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)2,4372,5961,9503,1413,0782,9072,926 To provide the number of prison officers in supervisory roles with less than one year’s experience, we have provided data on Band 4 Supervising Officers, whose role includes overseeing the daily regime of a wing or area of the prison. Tab 4 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication gives data on staff length of service for the main operational grades, including Band 3-5 officers. On 30 June 2024 there were four 'Band 4 / Supervising Officer' prison officers in post who had less than one year's experience. The length of service is calculated from the most recent hire date within HMPPS, not from them starting a specific role. It should be noted that if these members of staff were previously employed by HMPPS, left and rejoined, only their latest service would be counted.

Whether (a) public and (b) private prisons require prison officers to have a minimum level of experience.

We have inherited a prison system crisis. For far too long, our hardworking staff have had to face the brunt of prison overcrowding, which has damaged morale and put the safety and security of staff at risk. This is one of the reasons why we have taken difficult but necessary action to rescue the prison system from the point of collapse. We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes. On recruitment, nationally we are currently above target staffing levels for prison officers, although challenges remain in some sites with a high number of vacancies. Recruitment efforts will continue at all sites with a current or projected future need, and we have a number of targeted recruitment interventions that can be deployed where needed. There are no specific expectations in terms of experience for a new prison officer, but all new joiners have to pass an assessment process, and complete at least 10 weeks’ training prior to starting their roles. The loss of staff post-Covid has meant that we have significant numbers of prison officers who have recently been recruited. Due to this large intake of new staff, many colleagues lack experience – with over 40% of Band 3-5 prison officers having less than 3 years of experience. We are focused on retaining our dedicated staff, but we know it takes time to build confidence, capability, and the jailcraft skills that are essential to improve the system. HMPPS have in place over 150 New Colleague Mentors across the estate to provide support for all new staff and improve the onboarding process. HMPPS also provides colleagues with its ‘Career Pathways Framework’. This equips staff with information on career options and the variety of job roles available in HMPPS, as well as learning and development programmes. On prison officer joiners and leavers, data can be found in Tab 8 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication, with Tables 1 and 2 showing the number of joiners and leavers in each year to the end of March over the last 5 years, as well as the latest data in the year to the end of June. We have not included Bands 4 and 5 in the joiner data, as we recruit these grades through promotion, apart from re-instatements. Table 1 – Prison Officer joinersTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)4,7382,3012,4093,8424,3124,8184,819 Table 2 – Prison Officer leaversTime series - 12 months to end of each yearGrade31-Mar-201931-Mar-202031-Mar-202131-Mar-202231-Mar-202331-Mar-202430-Jun-2024Band 5 / Custodial Managers6591789197103104Band 4 / Supervising Officer13816588155156138138Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)2,4372,5961,9503,1413,0782,9072,926 To provide the number of prison officers in supervisory roles with less than one year’s experience, we have provided data on Band 4 Supervising Officers, whose role includes overseeing the daily regime of a wing or area of the prison. Tab 4 of the quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication gives data on staff length of service for the main operational grades, including Band 3-5 officers. On 30 June 2024 there were four 'Band 4 / Supervising Officer' prison officers in post who had less than one year's experience. The length of service is calculated from the most recent hire date within HMPPS, not from them starting a specific role. It should be noted that if these members of staff were previously employed by HMPPS, left and rejoined, only their latest service would be counted.

How many and what proportion of remand prisoners serve longer in prison on remand than the length of an average custodial sentence for the crime that they are accused of.

Information relating to the time spent on custodial remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain the data to answer this question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.

What comparative assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) public and (b) private prisons in reducing recidivism.

Robust assessments of the reoffending rate broken down by prison are not currently available, however the adult reoffending rate following a custodial sentence has fallen from 49.3% in 2011/12 to 37.0% in 2021/22. Both public and privately-run prisons play an important role in reducing reoffending across England and Wales.All prisons in England and Wales work to reduce an individual's risk of reoffending and promote successful resettlement. In a mixture of 93 public and private prisons, for example, there are Prison Employment Leads who play a key role in getting prisoners work ready and matching them to jobs on release.

What steps she is taking to alleviate prison overcrowding.

Reducing prison overcrowding is a significant challenge inherited from the previous Government. The Department’s priority is to ensure there is enough capacity in the prison estate in the short and longer term. In July, we were forced to announced a package of measures in order to prevent the criminal justice system from collapsing. This included a change to the automatic release point for those serving standard determinate sentences from 50% to 40%. We are also committed to delivering 20,000 additional prison places through the construction of a further four new prisons, as well as the expansion and refurbishment of the existing estate, including through temporary accommodation. Furthermore, we announced our plan to publish a ten-year prison capacity strategy. The strategy will outline the steps that the Government will take to acquire land for new prison sites, and will classify prisons as being of national importance, placing decision making on planning for new prisons in Ministers’ hands. The Government is committed to making prisons create better citizens not better criminals, and ensuring that we stop the cycle of reoffending.

What recent assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness of private prisons.

We are committed to maintaining a mixed market in custodial services. Private-sector companies continue to have an important role to play in the justice system, bringing innovation and expertise. Private prisons are among the best-performing in the estate and have consistently won praise from independent inspectors. When running operator competitions for new or existing private prisons, our aim is to secure high quality, sustainable, and value for money custodial and maintenance services that are safe, decent, secure, and rehabilitative. In each competition, bidders are required to set out detailed, high quality, value for money prison specific proposals that must meet minimum quality and financial thresholds – which ensures private prisons are assessed for their cost-effectiveness from the start.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of restoring the right of prison officers to take industrial action.

Prison officers work in difficult environments every day with some of the most challenging people in society, and we recognise their critical importance in keeping the public safe. As prison officers’ right to take industrial action is restricted under current legislation, their pay is governed by the independent Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB), which acts as a compensatory mechanism. Ministers met with trade unions shortly after their appointment to Government and will continue to regularly engage with them going forward. There are no plans to review current legislation related to prison officers’ right to take industrial action.

What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on restarting negotiations with the Prison Officers Association over the pension age of prison officers.

The pension age in all public sector pension schemes is set under legislation by HM Treasury, and the merits of any review in pension age would be for them to consider. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice is committed to listening and working with officers, staff and trade unions, and Ministers will continue to meet with the Prison Officer’s Association and other unions to discuss a range of issues.  We highly value our hardworking prison officers and take very seriously the safety of all staff working within prisons, whatever their age.

How much her Department has spent on outsourced services in prisons in the last 12 months.

For the period covered the 1 August 2023 – 30 August 2024, the Ministry of Justice spend with 3rd Party Suppliers for HMPPS as the operating unit is £3.2 billion.