The prisons department has hired a top UK expert to help with training and succession planning.

Bryan Payling, who recently oversaw the running of a dozen English prisons, has been appointed as consultant for two years alongside Commissioner Hubert Dean.

Making the announcement in the House yesterday Home Affairs Minister Robert Horton said as Area Manager in the West Midlands, Mr. Payling had responsibility for 12 prisons, a budget of around ?160 million, more than 4,000 members of staff and in excess of 6,500 inmates.

The 12 prisons included ten for male offenders and two for female offenders and ranged in size from Her Majesty?s Prison Birmingham with 1,402 inmates, 769 staff and a budget of just under ?28 million to Her Majesty?s Young Offenders Institution Werrington with 148 young offenders, 180 staff and a budget of just under ?6.5 million.

He said Mr. Payling was responsible for the operation of the National Drug Programmes Delivery Unit, which trains programme facilitators, audits their work and controls the funding distributed to prisons throughout the UK, some 80 programmes in all.

Mr. Horton said: ?Given our concern for the use of illicit drugs within our correctional facilities specifically and in the community generally, Honourable Members will readily appreciate the immense value of Mr. Payling?s experience and expertise in this area.?

Before his appointment as Area Manager, Mr. Payling served variously as a Prison Governor for 11 years and Deputy Governor for some 14 years. Although Mr. Payling doesn?t officially start working in the unit until the beginning of October, he has already arranged training for six of the senior prisons staff who will spend two weeks each visiting correctional facilities in the West Midlands and engaging in relevant training programmes whilst there.

Assistant Commissioner Clarence Davis and Chief Officer Keeva Joell-Benjamin are now in the West Midlands.

Mr. Payling has also arranged a September visit by representatives of the National Drug Commission who have expressed particular interest in the National Drug Programme Delivery Unit that Mr. Payling headed.