The document made public is 152 pages long

The Scottish Prison Service has released a 152-page version of the company's contract on its website.

Reliance took over court custody and prison escort services in the west of Scotland last month.

Extension of the �126m contract across Scotland was put on hold after a series of mistaken prisoner releases.

No figures are contained in Schedule 4 of the document, which sets out the charges payable under the terms of the contract.

Parliament, and the public, will rightly seek assurance that this contract has been properly entered into and that it conforms to relevant guidance and standards for such contracts Cathy Jamieson Justice Minister

Numbers have been replaced by letters in the columns headlined "Monthly Charge" and "Annual Charge".

Another clause in the agreement, under "Publicity" in Schedule 3, appears to give Reliance the right to veto the public disclosure of the terms of the contract.

It says: "The Service Provider (Reliance) shall have the right to require the authority (Scottish Executive) to remove any sections of the contract before the contract is published if the Service Provider considers such sections contain operationally or commercially sensitive information."

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: "The contract has been published with the exclusion of items deemed to be commercially or operationally sensitive."

The Reliance contract roll-out has been put on hold

But the Scottish National Party immediately demanded the publication of the figures.

Its justice spokeswoman Nicola Sturgeon said the same penalty was payable by Reliance in the event of a murderer being wrongly released or a fine defaulter going free by mistake.

"What we don't know, because it has been blanked out, is what that fixed fine is," she said.

The Conservatives' justice spokeswoman, Annebelle Goldie, said the contract showed that ministers were principals to the contract, with the SPS simply agents, and that Ms Jamieson's position was untenable.

Early scrutiny

Alongside the release of the contract, the Justice Minister, Cathy Jamieson, has asked Scotland's Auditor General Robert Black to scrutinise the deal earlier than would be normal in such agreements.

In a letter to Mr Black, she said: "Parliament, and the public, will rightly seek assurance that this contract has been properly entered into and that it conforms to relevant guidance and standards for such contracts.

"I know that this is something that the audit process would normally consider, but I think it would be helpful if that element of the audit could be brought forward and reported on separately."

I am sure they are fully aware that embarrassment to the company or themselves is not one of the issues that they can use to withhold information Kevin Dunion Information Commissioner

Information Commissioner Kevin Dunion had given the Scottish Executive until Friday to publish details of Reliance's contract.

He made the deadline after receiving a request for the information from Ms Sturgeon.

Mr Dunion told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "One of the over-riding issues has to be what is in the public interest.

"It is not good enough just to say there's a commercial confidentiality issue and to rest upon that.

"One of the tests that the executive must apply to this, and indeed I will be applying, is 'is there an over-riding public interest even if there is some harm arising commercially from the release of that information?'

"I am sure they are fully aware that embarrassment to the company or themselves is not one of the issues that they can use to withhold information."

Mr Dunion said he could ask to see the entire unedited contract so he could make a recommendation on what should be in the public domain.