Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2021 to Question 58346 on Wealstun Prison: Smuggling, and with reference to the Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Hull by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, published on 2 November 2021, page 12, whether all prisoners arriving at HMP Hull are checked with the X-ray body scanner; whether checking all prisoners with that scanner is compatible with the Use of X-ray body scanners (adult male prisons) Policy Framework, published on 19 May 2020; and whether he plans to amend that Policy Framework (a) to enable routine use of X-ray body scanners, (b) to enable random use of X-ray body scanners or (c) otherwise.

The use of X-ray technology must be approved in line with the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004 (as amended). For HMPPS, the Justifying Authority is the Secretary of State for the Home Office. Approval from the Justifying Authority has been issued on the condition that a set of Requirements for Practice for Prisons are complied with and they state that each scan must only be conducted where there is intelligence or reasonable grounds to suspect that an item is being concealed by a person internally. The intelligence can be HMPPS owned intelligence and/or intelligence received from external agencies, either linked to specific prisoners or cohorts. A person must not be scanned routinely or on a random basis and at present there are no current plans to extend this criteria although we continually assess the best ways to reduce the conveyance of illicit items into prisons.