Gagged, Police Scotland staff ‘who suf fered discrimination’

POLICE Scotland has spent almost £900,000 on payoffs to staff who made discrimination claims.

Cash settlements were made in 21 cases, including one involving an inspector, over the past six years.

But the staff also had to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) – meaning that they cannot discuss their cases.

Ten police constables, an inspector, a sergeant and four civilian workers won compensation totalling £677,389.

The force paid an additional £203,380 to cover legal fees, bringing the total cost of these cases to £880,769.

The 21 people who signed the ‘gagging orders’ alleged discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, disability or age.

NDAs are contracts between employers and individuals or organisations that ban those signing them from disclosing confidential information.

However, such agreements have been criticised because they can be used to ‘pay for silence’.

Settlements involving the controversial clauses cost £144,962 between 2013 and 2016, according to the figures obtained by STV. But the amount of money spent rose significantly from 2016 to 2019, with total payouts of £532,427.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur plans to write to the force about the findings.

He said of NDAs: ‘They’re effectively gagging orders. Their use may be appropriate in some limited circumstances but when we’ve seen almost a five-fold increase in the amount paid out with NDAs, that has to give rise to concern.

‘The need for transparency and openness and accountability is greater than ever. This doesn’t seem to me to speak to transparency; the openness we should see in our public services.

‘I can’t believe that gagging orders contribute much to reform and improved governance.’

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said the amount of money spent on NDAs by Scotland ‘has got to give us cause for concern’.

He added: ‘What we need to reassure ourselves is that Police Scotland are using them in the right place, that they are ascribing the right value to them and that NDAs are not being used to silence legitimate whistleblowers and silence legitimate claims.

‘This is public money that’s being used for this.’

Mr Kerr added: ‘Our public services are supposed to operate transparently and with full accountability. Not only are these deals expensive for the taxpayer but they damage faith in the organisations handing them out.’

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: ‘Confidentiality agreements are recommended by the independent arbitration service Acas and used by both claimants’ and employers’ solicitors to record the agreement reached between parties. Due to the nature of policing, these agreements are made to protect confidential information.

‘The rise in cost for nondisclosure agreements between 2016 and 2019 is due to two unrelated complex cases and not due to any change in policy.’

‘These deals damage faith’