Did security fears halts court revamp?

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Did security fears halts court revamp? In Matters Continuing in sections 1.Upon terrorism b); d) and e) I previously made comment concerning the potential death trap that our courts at Parliament House on the High Street Edinburgh represented in a terrorist attack. Rather than enhance the security of its users the previous planned proposals exacerbated the likely damage which could be caused from a terrorist assault. May I suggest that the Scottish Court Service avails itself of true independent advice and concurs that it should only execute matters to which it has demonstrated proficiency. Taken from the Scotsman 18th December 04 £133m court revamp stalls amid fear of 'Holyrood II' DAN MCDOUGALL THE Scottish Court Service (SCS) has ordered a halt to a huge redevelopment of the building housing Scotland’s highest courts amidst concerns about delays and rising costs relating to the project. Civil servants revealed last night that the halt in work, between now and next July, will be used to take stock and look at whether plans need to be revised or updated to take account of future needs. Parliament House accommodates Scotland’s High Court and Court of Session, and a £105 million redevelopment began in 1999, when work was expected to take up to 15 years to complete, but the projected cost has now risen to £133.6 million, although officials have maintained this was construction industry inflation rather than soaring costs. The problems dogging the projects have once again prompted concerns about civil- service handling of major building contracts - particularly in light of the Holyrood parliament, which was completed at ten times the original cost. Court officials claimed yesterday that although a large part of the first of five phases of work at Parliament House has been completed, the timescale has slipped due to planning delays, land acquisition and "sensitive" archaeological finds, including medieval skeletons, and that completion could take two to three years longer than the original estimate. Eleanor Emberson, the chief executive of the SCS, said Parliament House needed "substantial" investment to support the operation of the courts, provide secure custody facilities, and to provide modern accommodation for the planned High Court reform programme. She said: "As timescales have slipped, and the overall cost of the project is substantial, I believe it is right that we pause now to conduct a review of all the options. The SCS recognised the risks of a long, complex project and planned it in phases to allow for review points. We must make sure that we meet the operational needs as quickly as we possibly can, and get good value for money." She added: "We will continue to work with users of Parliament House as we consider all of the options at this stage. When the review is complete, we will be able to go ahead with the project with confidence that we are managing it in the best possible way." The move was backed by the Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, who made attempts to play down comparisons between the Parliament House redevelopment and the construction of Holyrood. She said: "Since the project began, some operational needs have become more pressing, for example the need for highly secure environments for criminal trials and the importance of providing modern and appropriate custody facilities. I believe that the right decision is to pause, review all the options and come forward with proposals that will deliver the long-term improvements we all want to see for our supreme courts." A report recently revealed that morale within in the civil service in Scotland has plunged to an all-time low following the publication of Lord Fraser’s report into the Holyrood fiasco. The service, already reeling from the Executive’s pledge to cut public-sector spending and jobs, bore the brunt of Lord Fraser’s damning criticism
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