Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent prisoners uploading footage and accessing YouTube and other social media channels in prison; and if he will provide prison officers with enhanced (a) powers and (b) technology to find and seize mobile phones hidden inside prisoners' bodies.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is taking decisive action to stop mobile phones from entering prison and, where they do get in, finding them and stopping them from working.

HMPPS already has significant powers to search people on entry to prison. We are investing £100 million in prison security with tough airport-style security and X-ray body scanners to detect contraband such as mobile phones, hidden inside prisoners’ bodies

During a prisoner’s period of detention HMPPS may conduct searches of the person, property, cell and area searches, aided by dedicated search teams, metal-detecting scanners and phone detection technology.

To strengthen HMPPS’ ability to find mobile phones and stop them from working, last year amendments were made to the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy Act) 2012. These amendments would enable public communications providers, such as a mobile phone network operator, to be authorised to interfere with wireless telegraphy in prisons. Working with mobile network operators, as industry experts, will place HMPPS in a better position to develop future-proofed solutions. In addition, Telecommunication Restriction Orders have allowed HMPPS to block the use of specific mobile phones in prisons.

In the meantime, HMPPS’ award winning Digital Investigations Unit works with prisons to identify offenders accessing websites and shuts their access down quickly. In 2018, over 594 social media profiles were removed.