Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many trained search teams are available to HM Prison Service.

The Prison Service has ten Dedicated Search Teams (DST) consisting of ten Prison Officer operatives managed by Custodial Manager. They are specially trained to complete all types of enhanced searching activity. They are also part of our wider efforts to further boost prison security, alongside the rolling out of body scanners, sniffer dogs and phone-blocking technology. These teams are geographically dispersed and can respond to requests from establishments throughout the prison estate.