Scottish Liberal Democrats accuse SNP of operating in shadows by not extending FOI

Scottish Liberal Democrat Tavish Scott MSP has today accused SNP ministers of operating in shadows over their failure to extend freedom of information (FOI) legislation to organisations currently exempt.

Mr Scott, who is a member of the Public Audit Committee, has slammed the Scottish governmentfor its secretive multi-million-pound deals with private firms delivering schools, hospitals and major infrastructure projects, which are not currently subject to FOI.

A report by the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) earlier this year, published as the Freedom of Information Act reached its tenth anniversary, criticised the lack of progress in extending FOI coverage.

It highlighted that 81 per cent of the public think organisations building and maintaining schools and hospitals should be subject to FOI. It also showed that since FOI legislation came into force, 15,000 tenants have lost enforceable rights as a result of local authority housing stock being transferred to housing associations, which are not subject to FOI.

Parliamentary Questions by the Scottish Liberal Democrats show that ministers have refused the commissioner’s request for them to set up a register of arms-length bodies subject to FOI and have dismissed her claims that the scope of the FOI has reduced in recent years.

Commenting on the lack of progress in extending FOI legislation, Mr Scott said: “The commissioner very clearly recommended that Scottish ministers should be using the act more to make organisations more accountable.

“They like to boast about the number of schools being built across the country and how it’s promoting the multi-million-pound construction industry but it seems they prefer to keep the details of their deals secret.

“The SNP has been in power for eight years now and since being in government they have extended FOI just once. But the public don’t just want to know about the workings of culture and leisure trusts, they want to know about the contractors maintaining our roads, the construction firms building our schools and the housing associations providing shelter.

“The saga over the former First Minister’s tartan trews says it all really. The Scottish Liberal Democrats want to strength and expend the FOI rights of the public while SNP ministers want to keep working in the shadows.

“How many more years should the public wait to get a clear picture of how organisations are run?”