Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners have been released due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and how many of any such prisoners have been in prison due to committing sexual offences and released from (1) open, and (2) closed, prisons.

On 31 March, we announced that pregnant women and prisoners with their babies in custody will be considered for Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) on compassionate grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Friday 15 May, 21 pregnant women and mothers with babies in custody have been released.

In addition, prisoners identified as ‘extremely vulnerable’ as defined in the NHS guidelines will merit consideration for ROTL on compassionate grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Friday 15 May, 5 extremely vulnerable individuals have been released.

On 4 April, we announced the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme. This scheme enables risk-assessed prisoners, who are within two months of their release date, to be temporarily released from custody, as part of the national approach to managing public services during this challenging period. As of Friday 15 May, 66 offenders have been released under this scheme.

54 offenders were released from closed prisons and 38 were released from open prisons. None of the offenders released were serving sentences for sexual offences.