Jack McConnell was at the centre of Scotland's "slopping out" fiasco last night, after it emerged he had been involved in a decision to "re-allocate" funds originally destined to improve sanitation in the country's prisons.

The First Minister's involvement in the issue, during his term as finance minister in 1999, emerged as the Scottish Executive confirmed that "adequate" toilet facilities would not be provided for all prisoners north of the Border until at least 2008, when a second new prison is expected to be completed at Low Moss on the outskirts of Glasgow.