To ask the Scottish Executive who must be informed of a prisoner’s release; whether this is laid out in statute, and how many times it was not complied with in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 and has not been complied with in 2010.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

There are arrangements in place with other Justice Sector colleagues for sharing information on a prisoner’s release, but none are specifically related to statute. Consequently the question of compliance is not appropriate.

The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 part 16 lays out the notification arrangements for victims of crime. This allows victims or an eligible family member the right to receive information about the release from prison of the offender who committed the crime against them and also their eligibility in certain circumstances, for unescorted temporary release. This covers, for example, short periods of home leave, pre-release leave, day release to visit ill relatives and temporary release to attend work or educational placements.