By Bill Heaney
Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Dame Jackie Baillie has written to the Permanent Secretary to ask what action has been taken over the inappropriate use of SNP emails during the Covid 19 pandemic and what information has been retained from these emails.
Dame Jackie’s letter to the Permanent Secretary is as follows:
Dear Permanent Secretary,
I write to ask what action has been taken to uncover the full extent of the improper use of SNP party emails by senior government figures during the pandemic.
You will recall that I have written to you before about the general use of SNP emails by Ministers and Special Advisers as a means of avoiding scrutiny.
Like millions of Scots I have watched the on-going UK Covid 19 inquiry with increasing concern. Families deserve justice and answers – but it is clear that the secretive and improper actions of senior SNP politicians, advisers and civil servants are denying the people the answers they deserve.
Yesterday, it was revealed that Nicola Sturgeon – the former First Minister – directed advisers to email her at her SNP party email address in a clear and deliberate breach of protocol. This action means that important information regarding the pandemic may not be accessible to the public.
Indeed I have been told by former Cabinet Ministers that the use of SNP emails was widespread.
I would therefore be grateful to know what information sent to SNP email accounts has been recovered by the Scottish Government for the inquiry. Thousands of Scots have had their lives irrevocably altered by government actions during the pandemic – the least they deserve is answers from those in power.
Yours sincerely,
Jackie Baillie MSP
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon must be “totally transparent” and urgently publish every email related to government business that was sent to or from her SNP email address, the Scottish Conservatives have demanded.
The call to the former First Minister from party chairman Craig Hoy comes in the wake of “devastating revelations” that have been revealed at the UK Covid Inquiry this week.
Messages between Professor Devi Sridhar, pictured left – who was part of the Scottish Government’s Covid advisory group – and Nicola Sturgeon showed a private exchange on social media where the then First Minister shared her personal SNP email address with the adviser. She also told Professor Sridhar “not to worry about protocol.”
Emails sent to and from her private party email address are not subject to Freedom of Information laws, unlike those on a Scottish Government account.
Craig Hoy says Nicola Sturgeon led a government that was “addicted to secrecy” at every turn and she cannot continue to keep the public in the dark over her use of a party email account to conduct crucial government business.
His colleague – Donald Cameron MSP – asked about the matter at First Minister’s Questions in September 2019, but Nicola Sturgeon failed to give him a clear answer.
Craig Hoy added that Nicola Sturgeon – and all SNP ministers – owe it to “grieving families” to publish the emails rather than continuing to “betray” them and hide from scrutiny of her actions.
Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy MSP, pictured right, said: “These devastating revelations show Nicola Sturgeon was leading a government that was addicted to secrecy at every turn.
“Using her SNP email account to conduct government business, thereby circumventing Freedom of Information laws, is wholly unacceptable and begs further questions about what she and other senior figures were trying to hide.
“That is why the former First Minister must for once do the right thing and be totally transparent. Nicola Sturgeon, along with all SNP ministers, must publish every single message trail – not just from the pandemic period – when she used this party email account to carry out government business.
“She owes it to grieving families to outline in full the content of these emails. Anything less would be a disgraceful betrayal of them.
“The wider public cannot be kept in the dark either. We must know how prevalent the use of SNP email accounts was during Nicola Sturgeon’s time in office.
“Her reputation lies in tatters but the bereaved deserve some semblance of respect and transparency from her.”