TORY ministers sparked a furious row after refusing permission for MSPs to check on the welfare of detainees at the controversial Dungavel immigration centre.

Senior Holyrood politicians had sought approval from the Home Office to inspect the conditions people were being kept in at the holding centre in South Lanarkshire.

Labour MSPs Pauline McNeill, Anas Sarwar and Alex Rowley said there were concerns about the human rights of asylum seekers incarcerated in an environment that campaigners have said is similar to a prison.

However, the UK's immigration minister at the time, Robert Goodwill, blocked the proposed visit.

Last night, the UK Government was accused of being "defensive and unhelpful" by denying MSPs access to Dungavel.

In a letter to McNeill, Goodwill said that visits were largely for MPs rather than MSPs due to immigration being a policy area that is reserved to Westminster.

Goodwill said: "Requests to IRCs (immigration removal centres) are carefully considered to preserve the dignity and privacy of individuals that are detained from a disproportionate number of visits."

McNeill has since asked Scottish Secretary David Mundell to intervene.

In a letter to Mundell she states: "It has always been my belief that in any democracy, places of detention should be allowed to be seen by any elected member by way of safeguarding basic rights of detainees."

The Glasgow MSP added: "I strongly believe that it is not unreasonable to be able to witness exactly what goes on inside the detention centre at Dungavel."

However, McNeill said she had yet to receive a response from Mundell, despite making the request in early April.

Critics of UK immigration policy have expressed concerns about the length of time asylum seekers are held at Dungavel.

Campaigners have said that dozens of detainees have been held at the facility for months at a time, and in some instances, for over a year.

The Sunday Herald previously spoke to former detainees, who highlighted concern about the conditions vulnerable people were subjected to at the site.

There were claims that asylum seekers are working for as little as £1 an hour in laundries and people being forced to exist on poor diets while inside the centre, with asylum seekers given chips as their main breakfast meal.

Meanwhile, McNeill said that while immigration was reserved to Westminster, welfare and health issues were within the remit of MSPs.

McNeill and Rowley, who speaks on community issues at Holyrood, and health spokesperson Sarwar, say they will complain to the UN's committee for detention unless the original decision is overturned.

McNeill said: "Following a meeting with the UN committee on Detention we were persuaded of the need to take an interest in the whole issue the detention and the length of time that asylum seekers spent incarcerated.

"I believe it is imperative in any democracy that elected members have a right to visit any place of detention to check that the welfare of detainees is as it should be.

"We are not interfering with the UK Government's responsibility.

"The fact that immigration is reserved to Westminster should not mean that MSPs should not have the right to visit detainees on occasion with any obvious sensitivities applied, not to distress any person held, but to see for ourselves the conditions in which they are held.

"Myself, the deputy leader of Labour and health spokesperson Anas Sarwar are considering policy on how detainees should be held on Scotland.

"It is a very serious and topical matter and we want to be informed in how we go forward.

"If we are ultimately refused we will report that to the UN committee on Detention, who don't have any powers to change it - however I think it is embarrassing for the UK Government that they appear to so defensive and unhelpful to elected members who are doing their jobs.

"We would not wish to distress anyone held in the Dungavel detention centre.

"We would also welcome the opportunity to hear from the management of the centre."