FM accused of code breach over ferries boss meeting

NICOLA STURGEON has been urged to refer herself for investigation over claims she failed to properly record a meeting with the former boss of Ferguson Marine.

The Scottish Tories have written to the First Minister, calling on her to refer herself for the meeting with Jim Mccoll, as well as claiming she did not fulfil a requirement for a civil servant to be present at the encounter.

The Scottish Government has labelled the claims “factually wrong”.

Scottish Conservative MSP

Craig Hoy has written to the FM for a second time following correspondence sent by Ms Sturgeon to members of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit Committee.

The complaint follows evidence given by the SNP leader to the committee last month in relation to the fiasco over the building of two ferries.

Mr Hoy, the party chairman and a member of the committee, said the responses from Ms Sturgeon breach paragraphs 4.22 and 4.23 of the ministerial code.

He claims Ms Sturgeon should have ensured a meeting with Mr Mccoll in May 2017 was formally noted or minuted.

During a committee hearing last month, the First Minister said she would provide details of the meeting but the Tories claim there is no substantive record of it.

Mr Hoy claims an email sent by a special adviser after the meeting with Mr Mccoll does not contain the “basic facts” required to be recorded under the code.

The MSP has also raised concerns that a special adviser – rather than a private secretary or civil servant – was present with Ms Sturgeon at the meeting. Mr Hoy claims the ministerial code states there is a distinction between special advisers and civil servants.

The Scottish Government insists special advisers are temporary civil servants and constitute an “official” in terms of the ministerial code.

Mr Hoy has urged the First Minister to refer herself to the independent advisers of the ministerial code to determine whether she has fallen short of the standards expected.

The Tory MSP said: “Nicola Sturgeon was quick to deny these claims when responding to my letter following the committee evidence session last month.

“But her latest correspondence to the committee fails to deliver any evidence of the required note or minute. Nor does she explain why only a special adviser was present.

“These appear to represent clear breaches of the ministerial code.

“The email evidence the First Minister presents as the supposed minute of a meeting with Jim Mccoll is nothing of the sort because it reveals very little about what was actually discussed.

This is made more worrying by the fact that Mr Mccoll has given a very different account of the discussion.”

Mr Hoy added: “Her evasiveness under questioning from the committee last month set alarm bells ringing, and the lack of detail in her subsequent correspondence adds to the suspicion that she has something to hide.

“In addition to referring herself, Nicola Sturgeon must agree to hold a full, independent public inquiry into the whole ferries scandal.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The First Minister has complied in full with the obligations of the ministerial code in respect of this meeting, and there is nothing in Mr Hoy’s latest letter to indicate otherwise.

“As the First Minister set out in her response to Mr Hoy on November 10, this meeting was arranged through the civil service and so, by definition, officials were aware of the details. The meeting was recorded in the official record of ministerial engagements published by the Government.

“An official – a special adviser – was present and a brief note of the outcome recorded. To claim otherwise is factually wrong.

“In evidence to the committee, the First Minister gave a commitment to see whether information relating to actions resulting from the meeting could be made available. This has been done.”