As a result, there were 1,516 delays to court proceedings due to late arrivals or failures to bring prisoners to courtrooms. In addition, there were 18,730 undue delays in the departure of prisoners from court.

A report from Audit Scotland last year detailed that the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) had taken action to support improvement in the firm’s performance but that this had had “limited impact”.

The firm paid out £1.3 million in dividends to its shareholders last year, while five members of senior management earned a total income of £854,000.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: “The scale of failure in delivery of the prison transport contract is staggering. When prisoner transfers don’t run smoothly, court time is wasted, justice is delayed and victims, defendants and court staff are put through the mill.

“By contrast, the only consequences for GEOAmey have been an ineffectual slap on the wrist and an offer of improved contract terms. The justice secretary has a responsibility to ensure Scotland’s justice system is safe, effective and properly resourced. She must ensure GEOAmey shapes up or ships out for good.”

The SPS said: “These figures cover April to September 2023, before we recalibrated our contract with GEOAmey, with support from Scottish government, which has led to improved staffing levels and reduced attrition.

“This year, as a result, we have seen continuous improvement in performance, including for journeys to courts and hospitals.”

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “SPS is continuing to monitor the performance of the contract carefully to ensure we see a level of service which meets the needs we expect.”