PLANS to replace the crumbling Greenock Prison have been pushed back yet again by the Scotland's justice secretary. 

West Scotland MSP Katy Clark was told by Angela Constance in response to a question that it would not even be considered until after 2025/26.

The justice secretary said that no action is to be taken to replace the 113-year-old jail until later on.

Greenock Prison has been condemended by inspectors as 'Victorian' and 'unfit for human habitation'.

MSP Katy Clark said: “Last year, I warned the Scottish Government that the dramatic physical deterioration of the prison meant waiting until 2025 or 2026 to progress replacement work was untenable. We now know that estimated timeframe was, if anything, optimistic.

“It is clear from meeting staff at the prison that they are doing a terrific job, but they are absolutely hamstrung by leaks, ventilation issues and the number of cells which are unfit for habitation.

“Ministers say they are forced to prioritise capital investment on areas of highest need. In light of the reports from the Prisons Inspectorate, it is hard to see how Greenock Prison does not meet that threshold.

“There has long been cross-party consensus on the need for a modern replacement prison in Inverclyde, with staff fully retained. I am willing to work with others and fight tooth and nail to make that happen.”

In her response the justice secretary said that replacing both HMP Inverness and HMP Barlinnie remained the priority and any work on replacing the Gateside prison would be unlikely to start before April 2026.

In July last yearHM Chief Inspector of Prisons Wendy Sinclair-Gieben’s described working conditions at prison as “almost impossible”, concluding that it is “a Victorian prison ill-suited to the demands of a modern prison system”.