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Aerial image of the positioning of the proposed new HMP Glasgow
The worth of a brand new detention center in Glasgow that’s being labored on by Kier is determined to be better than the Scottish Detention center Provider’s combined capital finances for the next three years, it has emerged.
Talking on the Scottish Parliament’s justice committee on Wednesday, justice secretary Angela Constance mentioned she expected the cost of HMP Glasgow to be bigger than £400m, despite earlier estimates of about £170m.
The correct worth will supreme become definite after designs are achieved in April, she added.
Conservative MSP Russell Findlay highlighted that the annual capital finances for the Scottish Detention center Provider is £97m in 2023-24, £192m in 2024-25 and £80m in 2025-26, giving a complete of £369m.
He mentioned that right here is much less than the expected total worth of HMP Glasgow, and asked officials from the carrier: “How on earth are you able to request to pay for it, given these sums?”
Constance replied: “The new HMP Glasgow is […] a high priority; there’ll for positive will grasp to be choices made about the phasing of sources.
“This isn’t a one-one year-supreme funding or mission, but I don’t articulate any individual is under any misapprehension that we’re going to must replace the considerably Victorian HMP Barlinnie.”
As the becoming penal advanced in Glasgow, the Nineteenth century HMP Barlinnie is no longer match for reason. Its governor, Michael Stoney, urged the BBC in August that it modified into as soon as working at 140 per cent of skill and modified into as soon as prone to “catastrophic failure”.
Kier modified into as soon as appointed to complete preconstruction services and products for the new facility in July 2022 and submitted a masterplan in December 2022.
Labour MSP Pauline McNeill criticised the whisk at which the mission modified into as soon as transferring and modified into as soon as “deeply interested by what seems to be taking an eternity to form a penal advanced”.
Constance mentioned: “We received’t know [the] timescale till we know the expenses, and we received’t know the expenses till we accept the final designs – that’s the final analysis.”
McNeill mentioned: “It’s no longer gorgeous for the committee to be left with the thought by the authorities or [prison service] that it’s correct a transferring element the complete time. I perceive it’s sophisticated, but I in point of fact feel at this moment that it’s a minute bit smoke-and-mirrors to no longer pin the relaxation down the least bit for a mission that’s supposed to be a priority.”
Constance mentioned: “Now not being a builder, I would allotment about a of that frustration but I do know the Scottish Detention center Provider and in particular the governor at Barlinnie are very centered on this.”
She went on to squawk that the pandemic and topic topic designate inflation had hit the mission’s finances.
The SNP minister declined one other MSP’s advice that she commit to position an total ceiling on the cost above which the mission could no longer upward thrust, stating that she knew of completely different schemes having been disrupted by factors such as Brexit and construction labour shortages.
“Given the lead-in time, it is miles sophisticated to rule out the prospect of any match interrupting plans […] There are all kinds of issues that could happen,” she mentioned.