Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time equivalent staff in the prison service have worked on investigations into alleged corruption in prisons in each year since 2010.

The information requested has been provided in the table below:

Prior to 2012, ten staff worked in prison regions and were responsible for corruption, professional standards and counter-terrorism. The amount of time spent on corruption varied by region depending on local need and they have therefore not been included in the table above. From 2012, full-time regional corruption prevention managers were allocated to the Corruption Prevention unit and have been included in the above figures.

In addition, all prisons have an identified Local Corruption Prevention Manager (LCPM), and in some cases a deputy, who develops intelligence, raises awareness of corruption prevention and supports staff to report any corruption related concerns. This role is carried out in addition to other duties they may hold in a prison and so have not been included in the figures provided.

The vast majority of staff undertake their duties with honesty and integrity. However, the Prison Service is committed to investigating and eliminating corruption to ensure prisons remain a safe and secure environment for staff, prisoners and visitors.