Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2020 to Question 38475, on Prison Accommodation: Wales, when his Department plans to finalise the number of prisoners that will be temporarily released from Welsh prisons during the covid-19 outbreak; and how many prisoners have been released since the start of that outbreak.

On 4 April, the Government announced its intention to temporarily release risk-assessed prisoners within two months of the end of their sentence as part of the national plan to protect the NHS and save lives. Up to 4,000 offenders will be released on the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme (ECTR) on an ongoing basis during the COVID-19 outbreak, with cases reviewed weekly.

As of 1 May 2020, there have been 51[1] prisoners released under the emergency release schemes. Thirty of these were released under the ECTR scheme, while 21 offenders were released under a separate scheme for pregnant women or mothers with babies.

All prisoners released must pass stringent criteria and will be subject to strict conditions and will be electronically monitored, including with GPS tags, to assure compliance with the requirement to stay at home. Offenders released on End of Custody Temporary Release (ECTR) can be immediately recalled to prison for breaching their conditions or committing further offences.

[1] Fewer than five prisoners have been released in Wales. We do not report figures fewer than five due to data protection rules.