Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether transmission x-rays are likely to be used in normal search procedures in prisons in the next 12 months.

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) employs a range of technological aids to assist in searching including: hand held detectors, portals and Body Orifice Security Scanners, which can detect metallic items concealed internally. X-ray machines are used in most prisons to screen baggage and goods entering prisons but are not used for searching people and there are presently no plans to introduce the technology for this purpose in prisons in England and Wales.