18. To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of attacks on prison officers by inmates. (230387)

Ministers and the Prison Service are committed to ensuring that violence in prisons is not tolerated in any form. Since 2004 every public sector prison has had in place a local violence reduction strategy. From mid 2007 this policy has included the contracted out prisons. The National Offender Management Service and the Prison Officers' Association are jointly committed to 'zero tolerance' on assaults on staff.