Shredded in secrecy
Public ‘treated with contempt’ as nearly 70 TONS of documents are destroyed by Scottish Government
THE volume of confidential documents shredded by the Scottish Government has more than doubled in the past year, fuelling concern over a ‘culture of secrecy’.
Nearly 70 tons of the documents from government-owned buildings were disposed of last year, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.
The sharp increase has added to fears over a lack of transparency and openness amid an ongoing row about missing paperwork relating to two unfinished ferries.
Officials said it was ‘not possible to provide a breakdown of the amount of documents destroyed by the First Minister’s office after March 2020’, and claimed ‘no record is kept of the nature of the documentation being destroyed or the reason for its destruction’.
Last night, Tory MSP Russell Findlay said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP government is shrouded in secrecy and now we know that many big decisions are shredded in secrecy.
‘Tens of thousands of tons of documents have been destroyed yet the public have no idea what they contained.
‘This revelation confirms that SNP ministers preside over an unhealthy culture of secrecy which treats us all with contempt.
‘Whether it is on the Ferguson Marine [ferries] scandal, the Salmond inquiry or the legal advice around plans for another referendum, documents don’t see the light of day or cannot be found.’
The Scottish Government statistics compared 2020-21 with 2021-22 up to the end of December last year. They show the volume of confidential waste collected from buildings managed by the Scottish Government and later destroyed rose from 25.98 tons to 66.41 tons.
The FoI response states: ‘No data is recorded for the use of local shredders. All shredded documentation is sent for recycling.
‘You also asked for how many documents were shredded or destroyed by the First Minister’s office. [Before March 2020] confidential waste collections were requested and logged electronically. Since March 2020 the software used under normal circumstances to instruct the uplift of confidential waste bags was not available to Facilities Services Help Desk staff while they were working from home.
‘uplifts of confidential waste are requested by phone and no records are kept. It is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown of the amount of documents destroyed by the First Minister’s office after March 2020.’
The response adds: ‘No record is kept of the nature of the documentation being destroyed or the reason for its destruction.’
The row comes amid the controversy over missing documents relating to the ferries scandal.
Critics say the Scottish Government may have breached its records management policy after it emerged a document setting out why ministers awarded Fergusons the contract to build two CalMac ferries had gone missing.
The policy states: ‘Emails must be retained for business purposes as evidence of a decision or transaction carried out by or on behalf of the Government.’
The Scottish Government insisted ‘all relevant information that we hold has been shared with Audit Scotland’. A spokesman said: ‘Copies of key information and records are retained, in line with our policy.’