Evans: I wasn’t ‘at war’ and my text was misread
SCOTLAND’S top civil servant has insisted she was not ‘at war’ with Alex Salmond and denied there was a ‘fishing expedition’ to encourage women to lodge complaints.
Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans yesterday confirmed to MSPs that she did send a text message to a colleague after the former First Minister won a judicial review against the Scottish Government. The text read: ‘We may have lost the battle but we will win the war.’ She insisted that her message had been ‘misinterpreted’ – and said she was not ‘at war’ with Mr Salmond.
She also insisted she was not aware of any ‘changes in working practices’ introduced by staff due to the behaviour of ministers. A witness had said at Mr Salmond’s criminal trial that women were ‘not to be alone’ with him in his official residence at Bute House.
Giving evidence to MSPs for the second time in three weeks at the inquiry into the way the Scottish Government handled harassment complaints, Mrs Evans was asked what she meant when she sent the text message.
She said: ‘Yes, I think that has been misinterpreted as having some kind of conspiratorial element to it. Can I clearly say, that is not the case. ‘I have been working since I was first appointed as Permanent Secretary on July 1, 2015 to make the organisation a more inclusive, diverse organisation that respected everybody’s right to come to work and to have the right kind of conditions of work. ‘That equality was at the heart of the business of government but it was also part of the organisational culture. ‘So I was not referring to any individual when I sent that text, I was talking about a long-term commitment of mine and indeed the Scottish Government’s... to ensure that equality lies at the heart of what it does but also how it operates as an organisation.’
Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser asked her: ‘So you weren’t at war with Alex Salmond?’ Mrs Evans replied: ‘No.’
She also told MSPs that ‘around’ ten people had raised concerns about their ‘treatment’ in the Scottish Government, but only two of them went on to lodge a formal complaint against Mr Salmond.
The parliamentary inquiry is taking place after the Court of Session ruled the Scottish Government’s actions in dealing with the complaints made were ‘unlawful’ – resulting in £512,250 being awarded to Mr Salmond.
In her first appearance at the inquiry, Mrs Evans declined to answer a question by Mr Fraser about whether she was aware of alleged warnings to female staff not to be alone with the former First Minister.
Asked yesterday by Mr Fraser if she was aware of any ‘changes in working practices as a result of concerns expressed by staff, including the behaviour of ministers,’ she said: ‘No, I’m not aware of those changes. I wouldn’t necessarily be aware of those changes unless I was particularly close to that office. That is not to say those changes don’t take place.’
Senior civil servants previously told the inquiry they had been aware of ‘water cooler’ talk about concerns regarding Mr Salmond’s behaviour. Asked by Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton if she knew about the rumours, Mrs Evans said: ‘Yes, absolutely. Yes, I did.’
Mrs Evans said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would have been informed when the Scottish Government referred ‘three specific incidences’ concerning Mr Salmond to Police Scotland in 2017.
On suggestions that efforts were made to encourage women to lodge complaints against Mr Salmond, Mrs Evans said: ‘It is so important we get this absolutely on record: there was no fishing expedition.’