Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when it is planned to issue officers at all adult male public sector prisons with PAVA spray; and if he will make a statement.

The planning for the national rollout has been underway since October 2018 when the decision was announced. With such a significant introduction to our service it is necessary to thoroughly prepare our prisons and ensure that all policy and training is reviewed. We are currently undertaking a thorough Equalities Analysis which is a vital step towards implementation, subsequently we will commence readiness assessments at each prison before training and issuing of PAVA will commence. The implementation is planned to take 18-24 months, establishments will receive PAVA once all of the above actions are complete and within the timeframe set out.