Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training her Department plans to provide for prison officers working in extremism segregation units; and how much such training will cost.

The government is committed to tackling all forms of extremism. Keeping the most dangerous extremists away from other prisoners is essential to the safe running of our prisons and fundamental to public protection. Planning is under way to create specialist units in the high security estate to allow greater separation and specialised management of the most dangerous and subversive individuals who pose the highest risk to other prisoners.

We are reviewing extremism prevention training for all new prison staff as well as prison based training for existing staff. Courses will be combined into a single, improved programme before the end of this year. Prisons with special separation units will aim to provide education opportunities equivalent to those available to the general prison population. As the Secretary of State has said, details of the costs of these units are operationally sensitive.