Permanent Secretary agrees to answer question on Alex Salmond
Scotland’s leading civil servant has said she will answer a question about former First Minister Alex Salmond, which was shut down by the chair of Holyrood’s inquiry into the handling of sexual harassment complaints
Leslie Evans, the government’s Permanent Secretary, has written to the Ccommittee on the Scottish Government handling of harassment complaints to say she is “willing” to answer a question put to her by Scottish Tory MSP Murdo Fraser on whether female government staff were warned not to be alone with Mr Salmond.
Mr Fraser had raised the disputed claim which was first made during Mr Salmond’s separate criminal trial, at the first meeting of the committee last Tuesday. However chair, SNP MSP Linda Fabiani, said it was not an appropriate line of questioning and Ms Evans did not answer.
Later, along with fellow committee members, Jackie Baillie and Alex Cole-hamilton, Mr Fraser wrote to Ms Fabiani querying her decision and stating their belief it was within the committee’s remit.
Mr Fraser also accused Ms Evans of “ducking” the question, which he said was “not a good look for someone who cost the Scottish public more than £500,000.”
Ms Evans, in a letter giving follow-up information, said that she would be “willing” to answer the query.
She said: “I would like to make clear that - contrary to some media reports - I am very willing to write to the committee to address this issue.”
The committee inquiry is looking at how the Scottish Government bungled its own probe into sexual misconduct claims made against Mr Salmond in 2018. He launched a judicial review into the process in the Court of Session, and the outcome was an admission from ministers it had been “tainted by apparent bias”, and a £512,000 bill for Mr Salmond’s costs.
MSPS are also looking at whether Nicola Sturgeon broke the Scottish ministerial code by staying in contact with Mr Salmond while her officials were investigating him.