Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he made a recent assessment of the adequacy of neurodiversity training for people working in the criminal justice system.

There is a range of training available to support those working with neurodiverse people in the criminal justice system.

In the courts, the Judicial College of England and Wales has developed training on mental disabilities specifically for magistrates and legal advisers, and the Sentencing Council has published guidance for judges and magistrates that provides clarity in sentencing offenders with neurodiverse needs.

In prison, Neurodiversity Support Managers train staff to support neurodivergent individuals and assist them in accessing education, skills and work opportunities.

In probation, HMPPS offer neurodiversity learning packages for all staff as part of the Probation Learning and Development curriculum, and new Probation Service Officers and those undertaking the Professional Qualification in Probation are required to undertake learning that includes neurodiversity.