Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of prison safety in Category (a) B and (b) C prisons.

Safety in prisons is a key priority, and we are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible for staff and prisoners.

We have specialist staff and equipment to stop the smuggling of contraband in prisons, such as drugs, weapons and mobile phones, which can fuel violence and create instability.

Prisons face a range of factors which impact on their safety, and these often vary between types of prisons, which is why it is important that all prisons have local safety strategies that address the local drivers of safety, whilst operating within the approach set out in the national Prison Safety Policy Framework.