Tory prison plan sounds ‘like fag packet idea’

minister rejects call to use old military bases and hospitals as temporary jails

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Tory MSPs were accused by a Scottish Government minister yesterday of drawing up a plan for temporary jails on the back of a “fag packet”.

Communities Minister Fergus Ewing rejected a call to commandeer old hospitals or military bases to ease the strain on Scotland’s overstretched prisons.

He was backed by prisons chief Mike Ewart, who was involved in securing former US airbase Kamp van Zeist for the Lockerbie bombing suspects in the Netherlands.

The two of them appeared before Holyrood’s justice committee a week after MSPs learned that convicts may be released under emergency powers to deal with overcrowding.

The Tories launched a campaign to find alternative jail space last week.

Mr Ewing said: “The idea that we can scour the country looking for unused hospitals or military establishments did seem to me to be a sort of fag packet idea.”

Mr Ewing said Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie’s support for the investigation was surprising and added that no thought had been put into supplying extra prison wardens or securing planning permission.

“There aren’t any military establishments available. It would probably be cheaper just to build a new prison, if that’s the way members wish to go,” he said.

Mr Ewart, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, warned against the Tory plans.

He said: “I’m possibly the only person who can speak with some authority, having in a previous life converted a building to use as a court and a prison during my time with the Scottish courts service at Kamp van Zeist.

“It was an enormously expensive business to produce a prison out of a building that was designed to withstand a nuclear attack.”

The committee heard the total prison population had dipped from a record high of 8,137 last month to 8,048 yesterday.

The Scottish Government has earmarked £454.7million for prisons in the draft budget for 2009-10.

The government said it is investing £120million to help pay for a new prison at Addiewell (West Lothian), a replacement Peterhead and Aberdeen jail and a replacement jail at Bishopbriggs.

Other expansions are planned at HMP Edinburgh, HMP Perth, and Polmont Young Offenders Institution.

Mr Ewing insisted the prison building plan and a review of the justice system will tackle overcrowding.

He said Westminster made the task more difficult by “short-changing” Scotland by £120million through financial “jiggery pokery”.

He continued: “The massive injection of resources to England and Wales which we saw matched from reserves has not resulted in any payment whatsoever to the Scottish Government.”

Payments should have been made through the Barnett formula for distributing shares of money around devolved governments, he said.

Following the hearing, the Conservatives stood by their suggestion.

Bill Aitken said: “To recite by heart the tired grievances of Barnett consequentials quite simply misses the wider concerns.”

Lib Dem justice spokesman Robert Brown said: “The SNP must face up to its responsibilities as the government and spend more time sorting out prison overcrowding.”