Decision to share draft policy defended

A senior Scottish Government official has defended the decision to share a draft policy on harassment by former ministers with a woman who went on to lodge a formal complaint against Alex Salmond.

Nicola Richards, the Scottish Government’s director of people, was challenged on whether this was a “blurring of the lines”.

Giving evidence under oath, she explained the draft policy, which had not yet been signed off, was shared with the woman in part so she could make an “informed decision” about whether to make a formal complaint.

As the policy was being drawn up in late 2017 it was shared with two people who had expressed “concerns” about the former first minister, MSPs heard.

Green Alison Johnstone questioned if that was a “blurring of the lines” as the issue was discussed at the Holyrood committee set up to probe the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment allegations against Mr Salmond.

Ms Richards said: “We were trying to establish, in terms of our learning as an organisation, whether this would have made any difference to them at the time, would it have made it more possible to raise issues about a first minister or former first minister?”

She gave evidence after James Hynd, the head of the Cabinet, Parliament and Governance Division within the Scottish Government, told the committee “things were said” about the former first minister’s behaviour.

Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton asked: “Were you aware that people in various arms of the civil service had concerns about the conduct of the first minister?”

Mr Hynd replied: “Yes, things were said. Whether they were true or not, I have no idea.”

Alex Salmond.