SNP justice secretary Neil Gray is being urged to overrule an “outrageous” response by the Scottish Prison Service to a court ruling on transgender prisoners.
Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher has made the call following For Women Scotland’s court victory against the SNP Government on Friday.
The judge in the case backed FWS’s argument that it was unlawful for male-bodied prisoners to be housed in female jails, given the Supreme Court ruling last year that gender is based on biological sex.
However, in response, the chief executive of the SPS effectively admitted that she would not follow the ruling.
Meghan Gallacher says Gray must now intervene and order the SPS to comply with the Supreme Court judgment as well as Friday’s verdict.
She has submitted an Urgent Question in Holyrood on the matter this morning and also hopes to challenge John Swinney at backbench FMQs later today.
The Central Scotland and Lothians West MSP added that for the safety of vulnerable women and girls no biological men should be housed in female jails.
Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher MSP said: “Neil Gray needs to urgently intervene and overrule this outrageous response by the Scottish Prison Service to Friday’s ruling.
“The SNP government wasted taxpayers’ money trying to defend the indefensible and were humiliated in court again.
“They must now accept defeat and work urgently with the prison service to remove male-bodied prisoners from women’s jails. If not, vulnerable women will continue to be put at risk.
“I hope my Urgent Question gets selected later today, or I get the chance to challenge John Swinney directly on this matter.
“The SNP have shamefully dithered for over a year since the Supreme Court ruling instead of ordering public bodies like the prison service to comply with the law immediately.”