Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Prison Service Pay Review Body’s Nineteenth Report on England and Wales 2020, section 3.35, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of new recruits leaving the Prison Service after less than two years of service.

New recruits leaving the prison service after less than two years is detrimental to the running of our prisons. This represents both a financial and non-financial loss that is difficult to quantify, hence this is something my department do not calculate.

My efforts are instead focused on retaining our staff, by upholding a fair and competitive salary; investing in training and professionalisation; and maintaining and improving the safety and security of prisons, for example with tools like PAVA and body-worn cameras.

This year, staff wellbeing is ever more important. This remains a fundamental part of retaining our staff, particularly for new officers as they settle into their challenging roles. All staff have access to support, including 24/7 counselling, trauma support and occupational health assessments, which provide the critical pathways of support for both mental and physical health needs for staff.