Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers involving razors have resulted in hospitalisation in the last year.

The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors which have resulted in hospitalisation in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors that have resulted in prison officers leaving the service in the last year could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

We are committed to making prisons safe places to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper we committed to trial alternatives to wet shave razors, and during 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one in the female estate. The evaluation of these pilots will conclude in March 2024 and will inform decisions about future shaving provision in prisons.