To ask the Scottish Executive what protocols are in place to ensure that every prisoner is assessed for learning difficulties on admission to custody.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

All convicted prisoners receive an initial Core Screen interview as part of the Integrated Case Management (ICM) process within 72 hours of admission. This process can highlight specific needs including learning difficulties but relies on self disclosure by the prisoner. The initial Core Screening interview forms the start of the process which can lead to referrals to specialist service providers including education and health care within the prison.

In addition to the Core Screen interview convicted prisoners also complete a literacy alerting tool which can establish if a prisoner has potential literacy learning needs, this may also highlight potential learning difficulties.

In accordance with the SPS Health Care Standard 1, all prisoners have a physical, mental health, and addictions screening on admission to custody. There is no specific health care screening tool in place to identify learning difficulties.