There has been no assessment undertaken on the merits of reducing the retirement age for prison officers. The retirement age within the Civil Service Pension Scheme (which Prison Officers are members of) is set by Cabinet Office and not the service.

The Government publishes quarterly statistics on violence in prison, and a more detailed annual breakdown, and both are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-march-2019. The relevant link is ‘Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2018’ and the information can be found in table 3.1: Prison assaults summary statistics by calendar year, England and Wales, 2000-2018.

There are clear challenges at many of our prisons, with levels of violence unacceptably high.

That’s why we are investing £100m to bolster security and stability in prisons, in addition to £70 million announced previously. This will fund tough airport-style security, including X-ray scanners and metal detectors to clamp down on the drugs, weapons and mobile phones that increase the risk to our officers and hinder rehabilitation.

It will take time for improvements to be seen across the estate but we remain determined to make progress and will continue to prioritise this important work.

All Prison Officers complete the Prison Officer Entry Level Training which includes sessions on mental heallth, self-harm and suicide and personality disorder. There has very recently been the development of a new course specifically for the female estate called POWER – Positive Outcomes for Women: Empowerment & Rehabilition. This is a two-day programme and is due to be rolled out shortly across the estate. One of the modules specifically refers to mental health in the female estate, with an aim to ensure delegates gain an overview of the mental health needs of female offenders and how this impacts on offending – including understanding the main disorders found in women in prison; the challenges caused by psychosis and schizophrenia; and explores the personality disorder pathway and personality disorder services.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

There are a number of drivers of suicide and self-harm, of which the number of staff is one. There are other questions around the estate, but probably the largest single driver that we have seen since 2011 is the use of new psychotropic drugs that are creating extraordinary psychotic episodes and leading to a direct increase in violence. We must address those drugs.

In the 12 months to 30 June 2017, 2,640 band 3-5 prison officers joined HMPPS. Of these, 123 (4.7%) subsequently resigned from their post.

Latest information on the number of newly recruited prison officers can be found in Table 8a in the HMPPS workforce statistics bulletin, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-june-2017

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. We want to make sure that our hard-working prison officers are well rewarded. Our announcement on 19 February, to which he refers, was specifically designed to tackle jails where it is very hard to recruit because of the high cost of living in their particular market. This year’s pay award for all prison staff is a matter for the independent pay review body, to which we will submit evidence shortly.

We have announced that, in prisons where recruitment and retention are most difficult, we will offer a combination of higher starting pay and an additional allowance of up to £5,000 a year, taking the salary of officers in those jails to up to £30,000. The relevant trade unions were advised in advance.

Information on the number of prison officers leaving the prison service and their reasons for leaving is published quarterly in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Workforce Statistics Bulletin, available on gov.uk.

The number of full time equivalent prison officers who staffed public sector prisons in West Midlands as at 31 March, 2010 - 2014 can be found in the table below. National Offender Management Service is not responsible for staff numbers in the contracted estate, and does not routinely hold these figures centrally.

Table: Number of Full Time Equivalent Officers in West Midland Prisons as at 31 March, 2010-2014

Note: The large reduction in Officers in 2012 was due to the transfer of HMP Birmingham from the public sector to a private contractor.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 192W, to the hon. Member for Darlington (Jenny Chapman).