The Scottish Conservatives have demanded the SNP cut the “outrageous” cost of building a new Barlinnie after it was revealed the bill has risen to nearly a billion pounds.
At First Minister’s Questions, leader Russell Findlay said the SNP were “squandering” more on the new prison than they spent on Scotland’s flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Findlay said “taxpayers want every pound to be spent on the best possible schools and hospitals, not the best possible prisons.”
He added that the SNP should ditch “nonsense” proposals for the prison, such as landscaped gardens, boxes for bats and special bricks for birds.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “The new Barlinnie is going to cost a billion, but the SNP seem to think it’s a bargain.
“John Swinney should be building a high-security prison, not a luxury resort or nature reserve.
“The SNP expect hard-working Scottish taxpayers to pay for nonsense like boxes for bats and special bricks to house birds.
“Taxpayers want every pound to be spent on the best possible schools and hospitals, not the best possible prisons.
“John Swinney is squandering more on a five-star prison than the SNP spent on Scotland’s flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
“The SNP will release thousands of criminals early purely because they failed to build prisons on time and within budget.
“This illustrates how detached the Holyrood bubble has become from the real world. It’s why so many people are disillusioned with politics.
“The John Swinney government is neglecting what really matters to people.
“As a matter of urgency, John Swinney must commit to cutting these outrageous costs.
“It’s common sense that a prison should be built at the minimum cost to taxpayers, not the maximum benefit for prisoners.”