Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prisons in England have adopted a system of opt-out blood-borne virus testing.

Blood Borne Virus opt-out testing is expected to be implemented across the whole adult prison estate in England by end of the financial year 2016-17.

To date over 20 prisons in the North West, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands and the South West have either fully adopted the opt-out blood-borne virus testing system or are very close to adopting it fully. A further 15 prisons aim to implement the policy early in the New Year.