Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 180189 on Prisons: Pepper Spray, if he will publish the equality impact assessment on the pilot of the rollout of PAVA spray; and whether his Department has made any subsequent equality impact assessments on the national rollout of PAVA spray.

There are no circumstances where it would be inappropriate to apply the explain or reform principles as recommended by the Lammy Review.

The equality impact assessment on the pilot for PAVA spray was published following legal challenge to the roll out. The Department committed to make a number of changes to the rollout. This included providing more robust guidance and training for prison officers using PAVA, monitoring the use of PAVA across the country, and involving prison race and equality liaison officers in reviews of the use of force in prisons.