Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has challenged the region’s Nationalist MSPs to answer why they voted against publishing legal advice Scottish Ministers received ahead of the judicial review case on the investigation of allegations against former First Minister Alex Salmond.
In yesterday’s vote in Parliament, SNP MSPs were whipped to vote against a Scottish Conservative motion calling for the advice to be released, despite the failed case costing the taxpayers £500,000 so far. SNP attempts to vote down the motion failed and it was passed by 63 votes to 54 with Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat support.
Mr Halcro Johnston said Parliament had voted for transparency from the Scottish Government, and the regions’ nationalist MSPs must now explain to constituents why they were looking to block the legal advice being made public.
The Conservative MSP said: “The Scottish Government’s decision to defend the judicial review has already cost the taxpayer £500,000.
“It is absolutely vital that a light is shone into this murky business and the legal advice Scottish ministers received - and which helped them make that decision - is made public.
“This matter goes to the heart of public trust in the Scottish Government and whether SNP ministers consider themselves answerable to the people of our country.
“This – and their failed attempt to block a call from the Scottish Parliament to hold an immediate public inquiry into care home deaths in Scotland - says a lot about the SNP’s attitude to government. At every opportunity they seek to avoid public scrutiny.
“We are seeing a growing arrogance on the part of the SNP and a sense that they should be allowed to do whatever they feel like without any checks, constraints or accountability.
“The region’s SNP MSPs must explain to people here in the Highlands and Islands why they voted to keep this information out of the public domain. And they should commit publically to honour the decision of Parliament and press their Government colleagues to release the information required”.
