Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the training provided to prison staff on the prevention of (a) unconscious bias and (b) discrimination.

MoJ Learning and Development for HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) provides operational training, predominantly for newly recruited prison officers and other prison staff. This training covers discrimination, which includes diversity and inclusion, procedural justice perceptions and rehabilitative culture. All HMPPS D&I learning has a common thread of conscious inclusion. The content of the prison officer training programme has been designed in consultation with organisational policy leads.

All HMPPS staff have access to an online e-learning platform called MyLearning. This platform enables staff to continue their professional development journey and offers additional learning which includes workplace adjustments, developing cultural intelligence, diversity and inclusion and respect in the workplace. The Civil Service Expectations training package is also included on this platform which covers discrimination.

The HMPPS Race Action Programme has a Learning and Development Project which has ambitions to address racial discrimination by improving our staff learning offer. This work began with a review of our existing learning provisions to assess quality and relevance. The project is now working to create an open learning culture for all; with better coordinated and more dynamic learning activity which will embed inclusivity across our organisation. This includes establishing a Learning Gateway Board to quality assure new learning, developing an interactive learning platform and setting up a central hub for all diversity and inclusion learning materials.