5. To ask the Scottish Government for what reason prisoners are not routinely tested for Covid-19 before release. (S5O-04408)

Operational measures taken by prison and health staff have been effective in reducing the spread of Covid-19 across the prison estate. As at the week ending 5 June, there were no confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 in Scottish prisons, and just seven individuals self-isolating across five establishments. That is a significant achievement by Scottish Prison Service and national health service staff.

As happens in the wider community, prisoners who display symptoms of Covid-19 can be tested to determine whether they have the virus. Relevant healthcare arrangements would then be put in place, as appropriate, for prisoners who have reached their liberation dates.

Under the recent early-release scheme, if a healthcare professional considered that a prisoner had, or was likely to have, coronavirus, that individual would not be authorised for immediate early release. In practice, there have been no cases in which that was necessary.

Testing of people who are asymptomatic provides an assessment of whether there is evidence of virus in their sample only at that point in time. Prison and NHS staff will continue to keep the position on testing under review, in the light of relevant health protection advice.

I thank the cabinet secretary for his comprehensive response, and I hear all that he has to say.

However, a prisoner who is being released is moving from one residential setting to another. Given that we now know the importance of testing in tracing incidences of coronavirus, does he agree that it would, simply as a precautionary measure, be prudent to test prisoners at the opportunity that is presented when they are leaving prison and going into the wider population?

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

Cabinet secretary, your answer will have to be brief, please.

I will certainly reflect on what Murdo Fraser has said. Every prisoner who is released is given adequate healthcare advice. We should bear it in mind that if a prisoner who was due for liberation was tested and found to be positive, it is not clear whether, legally, they could be held back from being liberated. What is important here is that we ensure that appropriate healthcare advice is provided. However, I will continue to keep the situation under review.

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

I have five minutes left in which to take three questions. If members could be brief, we might just get through them.