Clarity needed over timescale for Barlinnie- prison replacement

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Opposition politicians have urged the Scottish Government to provide clarity on the timescale for the country's biggest prison to be replaced.

HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow has been described as not fit for purpose, with the Scottish Government pledging to replace the Victorian jail with a new facility - HMP Glasgow.

Initially, 2026 was the target date for the replacement, but a Holyrood press release announcing a new justice strategy on Monday appeared to suggest the start of construction would take place by 2026, rather than that being its opening year.A spreadsheet published by the Scottish Government earlier this year also now lists the start of construction and its opening as "to be confirmed", while a previous iteration had said these dates were November 1 2023 and November 1 2026, respectively.When asked for clarification, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: "HMP Glasgow is being designed to deliver safe and secure accommodation."Estimated costs and timescales will be set out once a final design is available and will deliver a real and lasting benefit, both in the city and surrounding area." Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. In August this year, Barlinnie governor Michael Stoney said the prison was at risk of "catastrophic failure", with figures suggesting it was running at 140% capacity in July.Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: "The SNP Government previously stated that HMP Glasgow would be built by 2026 - but now seem to suggest that work might not even begin until then."This follows the recent warning from HMP Barlinnie's governor about imminent catastrophe due to highly dangerous conditions."Yet