Members' Business — S6M 11199 Brian Whittle Recognising the Success of HMP Kilmarnock 17 01 24

I will touch on the issue of private prisons. I will give an account of the Government’s position on the matter, but I also point to the fact that I have a private prison in my constituency, which is run by a different provider. I and this Government have always had fundamental objections to private prisons but, nonetheless, I have never sought to kick down that prison or the people who work in it just because of its model of ownership. It is also the case that even although we have two private prisons in Scotland, when things are—as Willie Coffey said—a bit rocky or there are ups and downs, because the SPS has responsibility for the contract, it is incumbent on the SPS to step in or lean in, as is the case for any such institution in Scotland when there are issues. When I visited Kilmarnock, I was very pleased to hear about the positive impact of the sustained early engagement of the SPS and Serco with staff in preparation for the transition of HMP Kilmarnock to public ownership in March. As has been noted, this is a significant transition and the first transfer to public ownership of a privately operated prison in Scotland.