Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of hours each day that body scanners for (a) prison staff and (b) prisoners entering prisons in England and Wales are operated by staff in the last 12 months.

Data on the number of hours x-ray body scanners are operated by staff in prisons is not recorded.

HMPPS currently scan adult male prisoners on an intelligence or reasonable suspicion-led basis. It does not have legal permission to use x-ray body scanners on staff working in prisons.

Our £100 million security investment programme to reduce crime inside prisons, including stemming the flow of illicit items such as drugs, mobile phones, and weapons, was completed in March 2022. Enhanced gate security—including 659 staff, 154 drug dogs and over 200 pieces of equipment—has been deployed to 42 high-risk prison sites that routinely search staff and visitors. We now have 97 X-ray body scanners covering the entire closed male estate and they have recorded more than 28,000 positive indications helping to tackle the supply of drugs and mobile phones into prisons.