£2.6m bill as SNP tried to fix its farming fiasco
THE Scottish Government’s handling of EU subsidies to farmers has cost the taxpayer £2.6million in overtime and additional staff costs.
Many have endured delays in receiving EU funding for a second successive year following problems with the Government’s £178million IT system.
Over the past two years, £961,000 was spent on overtime payments to civil servants. In addition, £1.6million extra was spent on staff drafted in to deal with the crisis.
Despite this, ministers still missed the June 30 deadline – meaning the Government could also have to pay an EC fine of up to £60million.
Scottish Lib Dem rural affairs spokesman Mike Rumbles said: ‘From bearing the brunt of farmers’ disgruntlement to working thousands of hours of overtime, staff have had to go over and above the call of duty to put right the blunders of SNP ministers.
‘If Scottish Government ministers had not bungled farming payments so badly, hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers money could have been saved.
‘The Scottish Government must produce detailed plans explaining how catastrophes like this will be prevented from occurring again.’
Details obtained by the Mail following a freedom of information request show the cost of hiring extra staff was £1million in 2015-16 and £600,000 in 2016-17.
In addition, existing staff worked 24,443 hours of overtime in 2015-16, costing £531,000, and 19,368 in 201617, costing £430,000.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Ensuring that the new programme is delivered in a way that meets Scotland’s needs is a complex and wide-ranging piece of work. These figures relate to staff working on the implementation of this programme – of which making these payments is just one part.
Meanwhile, former First Minister Alex Salmond attacked Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership at the weekend as he criticised the SNP’s treatment of ex-MP Michelle Thomson, who was embroiled in allegations of mortgage fraud.
Mrs Thomson resigned the SNP whip in 2015 when a police inquiry into allegations of mortgage fraud was launched. But the former Edinburgh West MP was told last month she will not face court proceedings.
Mr Salmond said: ‘It was an extremely difficult situation, which the SNP handled badly. You cannot have a situation where people are denied natural justice.’
Mrs Thomson said she ‘very much welcomes the ongoing support’ of Mr Salmond and is looking forward to a ‘frank meeting’ with Miss Sturgeon ‘as soon as possible’.
‘Ministers bungled badly’