asked the Minister for Justice if he is satisfied with the prisoner-officer ratio in Mountjoy Prison and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Mountjoy Prison has a total serving staff of 303 and there are about 450 prisoners in the prison.

Having regard to the demands being made on the other establishments manned by the prison service I am satisfied that Mountjoy has received its fair share of available staff resources. I might point out that the number of prison staff in Mountjoy Prison and elsewhere has been increased substantially in recent years and the position is still under review. Thus on 1 July 1977 the number of serving staff in Mountjoy was 239 and the number of prisoners 378.

This is not to say I agree that the prisoner to prison officer ratio is necessarily the criterion or that I am satisfied that present staffing in the prison generally is sufficient. However, prison staff has increased by some 40 per cent in the past two years from approximately 800 on 1 April 1977 to over 1,100 on 1 April 1979. There is a limit to how quickly it is possible to find suitable additional staff and to recruit and train them and I believe that the rate of intake has been as high as is feasible in the period in question. In very recent months the postal strike has caused special difficulties.

Do I take it 303 prison officers will control 450 prisoners?

Yes.

Is the Minister aware that if you break that down to a 40-hour week it is one to every eight approximately?

I will leave the mathematical permutations to the Deputy.

It is a quick calculation.

I am not very good at maths on my feet.

Does the Minister want to contradict me?

Question No. 6.