Tory MSP Liam Kerr says victims will be very concerned by prisoner release and he calls for evidence these actions are required.

Mr Kerr also asks what support is available for victims and calls for prisoners to be electronically tagged if released early.

The justice secretary says these decisions have not been taken lightly and he points out there are tagging capacity limitations for the contractor G4S, which is also facing staff absences.

Mr Yousaf pledges to maximise the capacity and he points out single cell occupancy will help control the virus, hence the early release scheme.

Labour's James Kelly welcomes the announcement about the early release of prisoners as a correct and appropriate response.

Mr Kelly asks about provisions to ensure prisoners being released are free from the virus and what support measures will be put in place for them to avoid homelessness.

Mr Yousaf says no prisoner showing symptoms of Covid-19 should be released but the legal issues must be looked at, and he pledges support is being looked at with Cosla.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Humza Yousaf confirms 89 people in prison across Scotland have currently been isolated due to coronavirus.

Mobile phones will shortly be provided to prisoners so they can maintain family contact while prison visitors have been suspended he confirms, though measures will be in place to prevent misuse.

The justice secretary announces the Scottish Prison Service will be asked to consider the early release of a limited number of prisoners who are towards the end of their time in custody.

Regulations to allow this will be layed shortly, making clear:

• only prisoners serving sentences of under 18 months and who are in the last three months of their sentence will be eligible
• prisoners will be released without a requirement for supervision in the community
• early release will not be considered for those convicted of sexual offences, terrorism offences, domestic abuse offences or Covid-19 related offences, nor will anyone with a non-harassment order
• it is possible to vito the early release of some who poses an immediate risk to a specific individual or group of individuals.

Changes will also be made to victim notification scheme to inform people are are registered in connection with someone who will be released, Mr Yousaf adds.

The justice secretary concludes that will this decision may not be popular, he is certain it is the right course of action to protect prisoners and prison staff.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

The justice secretary says many aspects of court business have been disrupted by the pandemic.

Difficult decisions have had to be taken on the management of criminal business, including the suspension of all jury trials he says. An estimated 1,600 serious cases will be awaiting trial by August as a result.

Mr Yousaf says options currently being considered are:

• smaller juries
• social distancing in existing court facilities
• faster progression of jury trials to address backlog after easing of restriction
• adjusting powers of sheriff courts

He warns the backlog will continue for some time after public health restrictions are lifted.

Morag Kinniburgh
BBC Scotland

A giant game of hopscotch has grown the length of an Edinburgh street after passersby were invited to add their own squares.

A sign taped to the door in Leamington Terrace asks people to “Add some squares to the hopscotch on your walk up the hill and see if we can make it to the top (Bruntsfield Place) before it rains.”

Children, teens and adults have been drawing hundreds of squares up the pavement, some adding chalk rainbows, hearts and stars as well as messages like “have a nice day” or “NHS”.

Sharon Duncan, 49, who lives in the street, was helping Stefan Kinnear, 31, said: “It’s amazing, absolutely amazing. It brings the whole community together and it’s forecast to stay dry the rest of the week”.

This lunchtime the squares had reached up to number 978, over three hundred meters long.To comply with covid 19 restrictions people are asked to take the chalk home with them.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf pays tribute to police officers and other staff in how they have engaged with the public and only taking enforcement action as a last resort.

"Compliance with the regulations remains very high," he says.

PPE is not needed for routing activity where there are no suspected cases of Covid-19, but where there is a requirement trained officers in full PPE will be asked to attend, he tells the chamber.

Mr Yousaf confirms 5,000 frontline officers have now been trained in how to use PPE and has a mask fitting.

Police Scotland's response to domestic abuse remains unchanged, says the justice secretary. The domestic abuse support line also remains open 24/7 on 0800 027 1234.

Image source, SCTS

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf is addressing MSPs following a discussion about the future of jury trials which have been suspended to take into account the need for social distancing.

There were 602 cases awaiting trial at the High Court on 17 April, with an estimate this would rise to 1,600 by August if measures were not taken.

The government presented a range of possible solutions to a virtual roundtable of lawyers, police, prosecutors and victims' organisations, including reducing the size of juries, currently 15, holding trials in bigger venues such as cinemas or conference halls.

The government had earlier dropped proposals for serious cases to be heard without a jury after objections from the Faculty of Advocates and opposition parties.

Mr Yousaf is also highlighting efforts to tackle domestic abuse.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Labour health spokesperson Monica Lennon raises PPE for care workers and deaths in care homes.

The health secretary confirms 1,636 emails have been sent to the PPE email helpline, with the most important ones acted on within 12 hours.

She points to a range of guidance for care homes, adding the level of infection should not have been seen if guidance had been properly followed.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton welcomes testing in care homes being expanded, but raises concerns about requests for PPE from personal assistants being ignored.

The health secretary says: "I need to apologise that we have not resolved this up until now."

There is no reason why they cannot access PPE and I assure them the issue will be resolved before I go home tonight, she adds.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Tory health spokesperson Miles Briggs asks whether the number of delayed discharges has been reduced. Ms Freeman says there has been a 62% reduction since 4 March, with 600 still in hospital who clinically no longer need to be.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone wonders about testing capacity being underused.

Ms Freeman says all boards have access to laboratory facilities to meet the target of 3,500 tests a day.

Testing will be used for those in hospital, for surveillance and to help key workers return to work as capacity increases, she adds. We are looking to extend the availability of testing to other workers in key areas, she adds.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Ms Freeman insists the government is on track to meet its target of 3,500 tests a day by the end of this month, with every health board having local testing capacity.

The health secretary says efforts to increase this capacity are taking place in Scotland and on a four nations basis.

The testing infrastructure is being put in place to test, trace and isolate to help control the virus.

She points out the NHS remains open and ready to care for everyone who needs it.

"If you have symptoms seek help.

"The NHS and our social care services continue to scale up, continue to work to help the health of the people of Scotland and we continue to do all we can to support them."

Here are the main points of the Scottish government briefing:

• Seventy more deaths of people testing positive for Covid-19 were confirmed, taking the total to 985
• 8,672 people have tested positive for Covid-19, an increase of 222 from yesterday
• Scotland's chief economist says Scottish economic output could fall by a third during the coronavirus emergency
• All businesses must take reasonable measures to ensure workers are 2m from each other and police will now have the power to enforce this
• The government has launched the Clear Your Head campaign which highlights practical steps to help mental health via sticking to routine and keeping in touch with people

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Image source, Getty Images

The health secretary welcomes Scottish Care agreeing with the strategy she has outlined and she says we all owe enormous gratitude to all social care staff.

Ms Freeman says access to NHS PPE is being increased so it can be delivered to care homes.

She says over 60 million items have been distributed to social care since the triage helpline was launched on 19 March.

A week's supply of aprons, gloves and fluid resistant surgical masks is being delivered to every single care home, prioritising those with known outbreaks, with all of that delivery being completed by the end of the week, she says.

In terms of PPE over 80 million items have been delivered to hospitals and eight weeks' supply has been given to GPs and primary care.

Ms Freeman says the guidance for social care workers is continuously being updated, however she says there are sufficient stocks of PPE but hard work must continue to deliver and source this.

Anyone with concerns should contact the government through the dedicated e-mail address: Covid-19-health-PPE@gov.scot

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Image source, bbc

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman says she will detail tailored measures to protect staff and residents in care homes.

These measures are:

• directors of public health will make assessments of how each care home is faring in their area and identify quickly any deficits that need to be rectified.
• a National Rapid Action Group is being established to provide this clinical oversight of care homes, which will recognise that care homes are widely run by independent providers.
• the Care Inspectorate will be equipped to have an advanced role in assurance across the country.
• testing for staff and residents is being expanded to include all symptomatic residents
• Covid-19 patients discharged to a care home should have been given two negative tests before discharge
• other new residents of care homes should be tested and isolated for 14 days in addition to social distancing measures.
• work is underway to get students, social retirees and returners into the care system as quickly as possible via the Scottish Social Services Council, external portal

Chris Clements
Social Affairs Correspondent, The Nine

More than 130,000 people in Scotland have applied for universal credit - highlighting the impact coronavirus is having on people’s finances.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave the updated figures for claims from 15 March at today’s government briefing. Claims have increased from an average of 15,000 for the same period in 2019.

For many, the application process has been frustrating.

Orkun Cevik, who is a Turkish citizen, says despite having the right to live and work in the UK, his immigration status has been questioned.

For days, he received no clear decision on whether he could receive universal credit. Although he has now been told he is eligible, it left him unable to pay his rent.

“It tooks days and days,” he told BBC Reporting Scotland. “Why are they waiting to make decisions? I don’t get it… “You have my identification , you have my company number, my company name…They have everything. What are you waiting for? There should be clear criteria.”

The Scottish government says the figures highlight that "many people across the country are struggling financially" and is encouraging Scots to liaise with their local citizen's advice bureau to establish what benefits and financial support may be available.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Image source, Getty Images

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman will make a statement on the impact of coronavirus on the health and care sector.

Here are the latest stories:

• Sturgeon 'cautiously optimistic' that NHS can cope
• The coronavirus-hit care homes without enough staff
• Fears raised over fall in cancer case referrals
• New virus hospital 'operational for at least five months'
• Nursing body concerned about reported re-use of PPE

Image source, bbc