Did Gilruth mislead parliament?
JENNY Gilruth is facing claims that she may have misled parliament after assuring MSPs a rail boss did not leave because of political interference.
The SNP minister is already under pressure following bombshell claims she broke the Ministerial Code by delaying railway works which would have impacted on her constituents at a cost of £1million to taxpayers.
A paper presented to the board of the Scottish Governmentowned Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH) in December last year stated its chief executive Chris Gibb was standing down partly because of concerns about ‘continuing micromanagement by Scottish ministers, advisers and officials’.
Ms Gilruth, who was transport minister at the time, met Mr Gibb on the day his report was presented to the board.
But when she was questioned by Labour MSP Neil Bibby in parliament on January 15 this year on whether political interference was a factor in the chief executive’s departure, Ms Gilruth said: ‘That individual’s post came to an end this year, so the issues that the member has highlighted in the chamber are not my understanding of why Mr Gibb is leaving.’
Labour business manager Martin Whitfield said: ‘Not only does it look like Jenny Gilruth may have broken the Ministerial Code, but now she also has questions to answer over whether she lied to parliament in an attempt to hide it. We need a full investigation into this debacle.’
The Scottish Government’s log of ministerial engagements shows Ms Gilruth had a meeting/video conference with Mr Gibb on December 8, 2022, and again on December 20 before he departed his post on December 29.
A chief executive summary report presented by Mr Gibb to the SRH board for its meeting on December 8 expressed concerns over ‘continuing micromanagement by Scottish ministers, advisers and officials’. He added that ‘as a result, I have not sought an extension to my contract’.
In the report, Mr Gibb also makes clear that in talks with Ms Gilruth in November, members of SRH advised against the lastminute cancellation of engineering works during the Christmas period.
Ms Gilruth, who is now Education Secretary, has said she took decisions as transport minister ‘in the best interests of the travelling public and the people of Scotland’.
Junior ministers are required to report any decisions which may impact their constituency to the Cabinet Secretary.
The Tories urged Michael Matheson, who was Transport Secretary at the time, to publish all communication he had with Ms Gilruth on the matter, saying ‘the public deserve transparency’ over the issue.
A Government spokesman said: ‘The First Minister has been clear that any claim that a member of his ministerial team has breached any part of the Scottish Ministerial Code will be investigated following established process.’