asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what alternative work he has been able to offer civilian employees whose weekly earnings have been affected by the prison officers' dispute at Parkhurst.

Although every effort has been made, I regret that it has not been possible to find suitable alternative work for the staff who have been excluded from Her Majesty's Prison, Parkhurst, by industrial action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to resolve the continuing dispute at Her Majesty's Prison, Parkhurst, Isle of Wight.

The recent Civil Service pay settlement included provision for an increase in the inconvenience of locality allowance for staff serving in the Isle of Wight prisons to cover the cost of three return ferry journeys a year to the mainland. The Prison Officers' Association has, however, been informed that its further claim for an Island cost of living allowance cannot be accepted.Staff at Albany and Camphill are working normally and it is a matter for regret that the prison officers at Parkhurst prison are continuing their industrial action in support of this claim.