To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence underlay the decision by HM Prison Service to provide industrial and agricultural grades with a £350 recruitment and retention payment; and what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the payment on recruitment and retention. (108767)

Following identified concerns from managers, a recruitment and retention allowancefor specified trades was introduced in 2005. While establishments have stated that recruitment and retention problems have eased in targeted trades, a reduced allowance of £350 for 2006 is still required to maintain progress. Further review and impact assessment will be undertaken as part of the current Job Evaluation project.