Writing to the Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, the SHRC sought assurances that measures will be taken to deal with the rising prison population.

It is also argued that the incidence of the virus among inmates is six times higher than in the general population.

Judith Robertson, chair of the commission, said: “In particular, we remain concerned that insufficient data is being provided to enable us to have confidence that people’s rights are being adequately respected and protected.”

Last year hundreds of low-risk prisoners were released as the pandemic worsened.