593 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when the next prison officer recruitment campaign to the prison service will be advertised; and the numbers to be recruited. [8675/98]

The next recruitment campaign for the position of prison officer in the Prison Service will commence with the placing of advertisements by the Civil Service Commission in the national press on 23 April 1998. It is anticipated that up to 600 appointments may be made from this competition over a two year period.

The campaign is necessitated by the current prisons building programme which is on course to provide 1,000 extra prison spaces by the end of 1999.