SNP accused of breaking the law on public’s right to know
SNP ministers were accused of breaking the law over freedom of information yesterday as opponents claimed they are ‘addicted to secrecy’.
Parliamentary Business Minister Joe Fitzpatrick repeatedly refused to say during a heated Holyrood debate if the Scottish Government had breached legislation relating to freedom of information( FOI) requests.
He was questioned by MSPs over the ‘outrageous’ revelations that ministers and special advisers had regularly tried to influence the refusal or delay of information they do not want in the public domain.
A damning report from the Scottish Information Commissioner sparked fury last week, raising concerns over the involvement of ministers and special advisers in handling FOI requests.
It criticised the Scottish Government for treating journalists, politicians and political researchers differently from the public – leading to claims that Nicola Sturgeon was presiding over a ‘secret Scotland’.
Yesterday, Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay said: ‘The report says that the letter and spirit of the law were not being met and that politically sensitive information was being treated differently. Let me interpret that for the minister: the Government broke the law.’
He demanded an urgent inquiry, insisting problems run much deeper than with FOI.
‘It is not just about freedom of information,’ he said.
‘It is about all the meetings that the Government has with very powerful people – spending money on behalf of the public – that no one would ever know happen, because there are no minutes, no agenda and no briefings for them.’
Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said ministers had been allowed to ‘ride roughshod over FOI legislation and the law’, while Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said that an ‘addiction to secrecy has got hold of the Scottish Government’.
Tory MSP Edward Mountain said the Information Commissioner’s report was a ‘damning indictment’ of a Government ‘trying to cover its tracks and bury bad news’.
He added: ‘Democracy is not a game. Democracy requires governments to be open, transparent and accountable.’
Mr Fitzpatrick said he was surprised at calls for another independent review of how FOI requests are handled.
He said: ‘I had hoped no member would doubt the independence of the Scottish Information Commissioner and his staff.’
‘Trying to bury bad news’