No Notes, No Records, No Fault, No Blame

John Swinney says he took part in three unminuted  meetings with the OECD and that no record was taken of these discussions because because there were no actions arising.

Sounds like another lead of old bollix from Scottish Ministers who have form when it comes to forgetting things and failing to keep proper records.  

As for the laughable 'there was nothing much to discuss' explanation - if this were true, the meeting would obviously have been cancelled to avoid wasting a senior cabinet minister's valuable time.

 

SNP - No Fault, No Blame, No Records (10/03/21)

Civil servant keep records - it's what they do and is also a requirement of Scotland's Ministerial Code:

"Contacts with External Individuals and Organisations, including Outside Interest Groups and Lobbyists"

"4.22 Ministers meet many people and organisations and consider a wide range of views as part of the formulation of Government policy. Meetings on official business should normally be arranged through Private Offices. A private secretary or official should be present for all discussions relating to Government business. Private Offices should arrange for the basic facts of formal meetings between Ministers and outside interest groups to be recorded, setting out the reasons for the meeting, the names of those attending and the interests represented. A monthly list of engagements carried out by all Ministers is published three months in arrears."

Yet we are being asked to believe that no records exist for two important meetings involving the First Minister, her top civil servant and the Scottish Government's external lawyers to discuss a vital ongoing case in the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court.

Music, Maestro, Please.

 

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