§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the discovery of documents concerning the design of Torness power station and Shotts prison in a public place close to Torness.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonI am advised by the South of Scotland electricity board that the fragments of charred papers, apparently from a contractor's bonfire, found near the Torness site, did not disclose any information of a security or other nature which would cause concern to the board.
The Scottish Home and Health Department has investigated the matter in relation to the design of Shotts prison. Expert examination of the documents reveals that what was alleged to have been found were copies of drawings issued to four construction firms invited by a management contractor to tender for a small sub-contract during the construction of Shotts prison in 1986. All the firms concerned have been asked to declare the whereabouts of the original copies sent to them.
The original drawings were not classified and there are no details of security systems shown on the material found. What has been revealed does not appear to constitute a serious breach of security. Nevertheless the Scottish Home and Health Department is reviewing the procedures for handling drawings of prison-related buildings and installations, and will report the result to me.