Lack of transparency

doubt of adverse publicity and fear of further publicity. If the idea was to deflect attention, it has had the opposite effect.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said: “While many of the SPA’s problems can be traced back to the centralised, top-down structures put in place by the SNP, it is certainly not helping itself. If it wants to retain the confidence of the public and its staff then it has to be more open and engaging.”

A spokesperson for the SPA said: “The board is seeking to balance their ability to develop the right relationships and flows of information they need for informed scrutiny, with the openness and transparency which we agree is critical for a public service like policing. We also accept that the debate on transparency is not a black and white issue. At its last meeting, board members themselves debated, in public, different perspectives on striking the right balance between public and private scrutiny work. HMICS has made the point in its own independent reports, for instance on armed policing, of the need for some engagement and scrutiny of policing to take place outside of the public realm.”

ACROSS-PARTY group of MSPs has backed the general principles of a new air tax bill – but called for more information on the impact of the move. The Scottish Government has announced plans to reduce aviation tax by 50 per cent by the end of the current parliament, and eventually abolish it completely “when finances allow”.

The reduction in the levy will begin when a Scottish replacement to air passenger duty (APD) is introduced in April 2018 through the Air Departure Tax (ADT) Bill. All but one member of Holyrood’s Finance Committee – Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie – endorsed the general principles of the proposal in a parliamentary report, but stated the absence of supporting evidence “has the potential to undermine scrutiny” of the policy. Convener Bruce Crawford said: “The Finance Committee recognises that the Air Departure Tax Bill is an enabling Bill. Nevertheless, we are disappointed by the lack of information on exemptions to the tax and on the economic, social, financial and environmental impacts that will result from a 50 per cent reduction in ADT.”