Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has received reports of (a) instances where inmates have been physically punished for failing to comply with informal interpretations of Sharia law and (b) other forms of (i) coercive violence and (ii) informal disciplinary practices within prisons.

Extremist gang activity is not tolerated in prisons. Staff act swiftly to clamp down on intimidating or threatening behaviour regardless of cultural or religious sensitivities. Anyone who threatens assaults or attempts to control others faces tough sanctions, including time added on to their sentence. Our message is clear: follow the rules or pay for breaking them.

We do not tolerate any attempts by extremists to coerce others. Where we do identify evidence that this may be happening, we take a zero-tolerance approach. We have robust measures in place to manage offenders and prevent them from radicalising others. This includes specialist staff training, monitoring of communications, and targeted interventions, both in custody and upon release, to prevent the spread of harmful ideologies and reduce reoffending.