Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners have been released under the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme, and what assessment have they made of the number of prisoners that need to be released in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the prison population.

As of 11 May, 78 prisoners have been released early; 52 were released as part of the End of Custody Temporary Release (ECTR) scheme, and 26 were released on compassionate grounds.

We are working hard to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the prison system as part of the national plan to protect the NHS and save lives. Modelling has provided an early indication that our COVID-19 strategy in prisons is having a positive impact on limiting deaths and the transmission of the virus within the estate.

Releases are just one part of a wider strategy to create headroom, including by increasing the capacity of the existing prison estate. Modelling suggests that the headroom required to fully implement compartmentalisation of prisons as a control on the spread of the virus is around 5,500. We are on track to achieving this target.