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Question follow-through · 47974

Prisons: Dogs

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what exemptions exist in prisons for Muslims not to be searched by sniffer dogs on religious grounds.

answeredMinistry of Justice

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Ministry of Justice
Tabled
24 Apr 2025
Target answer date
28 Apr 2025
Answer
2 May 2025 · 8 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Justice and policing

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Votes on this topic

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Recorded timeline

  1. 24 Apr 2025

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what exemptions exist in prisons for Muslims not to be searched by sniffer dogs on religious grounds.

  2. 28 Apr 2025

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 2 May 2025

    Answer published

    No prisoners are exempt from searches by sniffer dogs.During a cell search, care must be taken when handling religious artefacts, and search dogs must not come into contact with religious artefacts or holy books. Prisoners must be asked to point these out...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Courts: Great Yarmouth

25 Apr 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to reduce court backlogs affecting residents of Great Yarmouth constituency.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

6 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 47976 on Prison: Crimes against the Person, if she will provide a further breakdown by nationality.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Legal Systems: Islam

6 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban Sharia courts.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Offences against Children: Convictions

9 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of grooming gang convictions since 2005 have involved perpetrators born outside the UK.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Ministry of Justice: Translation Services

12 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Criminal Investigation

16 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that individuals who are subject to police investigations are provided with appropriate (a) legal and (b)reputational protections.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Burglary: Self-defence

9 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to review the adequacy of legal protections available to homeowners who use force in self-defence against intruders.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Knives: Prison Sentences

12 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will introduce a minimum 5-year mandatory sentence for adults convicted of carrying a knife.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Reparation by Offenders: Graffiti and Litter

12 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prisoners undertake (a) litter collection and (b) graffiti removal.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Knives: Prison Sentences

12 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign-born prisoners are currently serving sentences for knife crime offences.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Offences against Children: Compensation

16 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of grooming gangs have applied for compensation; and how many have been rejected.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Ministry of Justice: Translation Services

20 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and