Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the finding in the HM Inspectorate and Probation report Offender Management in Custody, published on 2 November, that only 25 per cent of keywork sessions were delivered against the prescribed model in May, what is the current rate of the delivery of keywork sessions in each of the prisons where staff have been authorised to carry PAVA spray.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has been rolling out PAVA incapacitant spray to all band 3-5 staff in the adult closed male estate and this is still under way. Staff require appropriate training to use PAVA and only prisons that have implemented the key work scheme – which is vital in building relationships between offenders and staff – will receive it.

The figures for delivery of key work quoted in the joint inspection report are the latest currently available.

Key work remains a priority for HMPPS, however, and has an important role in supporting improvements to prisons safety, reducing the risk of harm and re-offending and promoting community reintegration.