Minister Forced to Apologise for Misleading MSPs

10/1/08

Following concerns raised by Margaret Smith MSP and others, Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell has had to apologise to Parliament for the way in which the Scottish Government announced that the sportscotland would not be axed, and for misleading Parliament over the details of the national sport agency’s future.

Commenting, the Edinburgh West MSP said:

“The Scottish Government has handled the sportscotland situation very badly indeed. In response to my question in Parliament on Wednesday, the Sports Minister claimed he was unable to give details of how many staff would be affected by the decision not to abolish sportscotland and to move its headquarters from Edinburgh, saying this would need to be worked out in the future.

“However, shortly after this, a Government special adviser briefed journalists with this exact information, which then appeared in today’s newspapers. This is an unacceptable way to handle such an important announcement, and certainly not the way for a Government to give out information which will change peoples’ lives.

“I am pleased that the Minister has seen fit to apologise for this behaviour and I hope that this will send a message to other Scottish Government Ministers that this is not an acceptable way to treat the Parliament and the public.”

Read the Minister’s apology >>