Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of x-ray body scanners in prisons in England and Wales .
We are taking urgent and decisive action to stop contraband from entering our prisons. These illicit items pose a significant threat to safety and security.
X-ray body scanners have already been installed at Altcourse, Belmarsh, Doncaster, Forest Bank, Holme House, Leeds, Northumberland and Peterborough.
We believe X-ray scanning technology provides an effective method of confirming whether a prisoner is attempting to smuggle contraband via internal concealment.