The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Evans reported to UK’S most senior civil servant for refusing to comment
INQUIRY: Permanent secretary accused of avoiding ‘crucial’ question by Tories
Leslie Evans has been reported to the UK’S top mandarin for refusing to comment on claims that female officials were advised not to work alone with Alex Salmond.
The Scottish Conservatives have accused Ms Evans, Scotland’s permanent secretary, of failing to answer a “crucial” question when she appeared before MSPS this week.
The Tories took the step after Ms Evans’ response to a question from Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser when she appeared in front of a committee of MSPS investigating how the Scottish Government handled claims of harassment made against Mr Salmond.
The move came as the Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem members of the committee challenged committee convener Linda Fabiani of the SNP on why Mr Fraser had not been allowed to pursue his line of questioning.
The Holyrood inquiry was launched after the Scottish Government’s internal investigation of the claims was ruled unlawful and “tainted with apparent bias” at the Court of Session.
The civil court case led to the Scottish Government being forced to pay out more than £500,000 for Mr Salmond’s legal costs.
When Ms Evans appeared in front of MSPS, Mr Fraser said it had been reported that female civil servants were “advised not to be alone in the company of the former first minister”. He asked Ms Evans if she was aware of that.
“I can’t comment on that,” was Ms Evans’s reply.
Ms Fabiani then suggested his question was inappropriate under the committee’s remit.
Ms Evans’ response led to Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross writing to Sir Mark Sedwill, head of the UK Civil Service and Ms Evans’ line manager.
Mr Ross said: “The Scottish public deserve answers. They won’t get the full truth if civil servants are allowed to evade scrutiny and the government refuses to release documents.”
Mr Fraser claimed Nicola Sturgeon had broken a promise that the Scottish Government would co-operate fully with the Holyrood inquiry.
The Tory MSP also lodged an Urgent Question, which was rejected by the presiding officer, in an attempt to find out more about what Ms Leslie had told Ms Sturgeon about Mr Salmond’s behaviour.
Ms Evans told the inquiry she told the first minister there were concerns about Mr Salmond in November 2017.
The Scottish Government internal inquiry into Mr Salmond did not begin until January 2018. Ms Sturgeon has previously said she learned complaints had been made against Mr Salmond in April 2018.
Mr Fraser said: “Under oath, Leslie Evans has a duty to tell the whole truth.”
Meanwhile, Mr Fraser and Labour’s Jackie Baillie and Alex Cole-hamilton of the Lib Dems have written to Ms Fabiani to say they were “taken aback” by her “vociferous” opposition to the line of questioning.
The letter said there was “little confidence” in the Scottish Government formal complaints process during the period under examination.