SNP ministers accused of a ‘code of secrecy’ in FOI row
MINISTERS yesterday condemned their own record in releasing details of private meetings and other information to the public.
Parliamentary Business Manager Joe FitzPatrick said the Scottish Government’s recent performance in responding to freedom of information requests has ‘not been good enough’. Nationalist MSPs backed a Conservative motion which ‘condemns’ the SNP’s record on FOI and calls for an independent inquiry into the matter.
The Tories said the SNP administration had been operating under a ‘code of secrecy’.
It comes amid a growing row about requests for details of private meetings being repeatedly turned down.
The situation has been so bad that a group of senior journalists wrote a joint letter to the Scottish Government demanding action.
Tory MSP Edward Mountain said the issues they raise included ‘delays beyond the 0 working-days deadline, requests for updates being routinely ignored, excessive delays to responses and Government officials taking control of requests from other agencies without the consent of the applicant’.
Mr Mountain added: ‘Meetings with no agendas and certainly no minutes, hiding behind thin veils of commercial confidentiality – to me that points to a code of secrecy, defending the indefensible and fuelling the lack of trust that the public have in politicians.’
Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley said: ‘At times the responses to freedom-of-information requests seem more like they are dodging the questions than providing the answers.
‘At its heart, freedom of information is about accountability and this Government must recognise that across this chamber and outwith there is a cry for further accountability, more openness and more transparency.’
Mr FitzPatrick said: ‘Anyone who has been listening to the debate will know that we accept our recent performance has not been good enough and we are working to improve it.’
Addressing concerns raised by journalists, he added: ‘We don’t get everything right and I recognise that people have at times reasons to be unhappy with our past performance.
‘It is not in the interests of the Scottish Government to block or refuse requests on tenuous reasons or to miss a deadline, as has been suggested.’
He also admitted that the Scottish Government’s special advisers ‘have a role’ in assessing responses before they are issued – which opponents claim could mean politically-sensitive material is redacted.