Lyon slams SNP "culture of secrecy" in Europe

12.00.00am GMT Sat 6th Mar 2010

George Lyon, Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland, has slammed the SNP's "culture of secrecy" over the work of the Scottish Government in Brussels.

Speaking at the Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference in Perth, Mr Lyon revealed that the Scottish Government has kept no records of meetings between Brussels-based Scottish Government officials and Scottish MEPs, MPs and MSPs.

In response to a freedom of information request, Mr Lyon was told that there are no "systematic records" that would identify when meetings took place.

Commenting, Mr Lyon said:

"The Scottish Government recently claimed that it is 'committed to Freedom of Information, and its underpinning principles of openness and transparent Government'.

"Now officials claim that they have no records, no minutes of ever having met with MSPs, Ministers, and MEPs.

"When it comes to the relationship between the Scottish Government and Brussels, it seems that the SNP have something to hide. How else can you explain that after nearly three years in Government the SNP have no records of any meetings?

"Scotland needs a strong voice in Europe and the SNP is not providing it."

Calling for a change in policy, Lyon said:

"I do not believe that it is acceptable for the Scottish Government to have high-level meetings that go unrecorded. This is neither open nor transparent.

"I will be writing to the Minister for Culture and External Affairs asking her to make sure that records and minutes are kept for all future meetings.

"I also intend to ask individual Scottish Government departments about which Ministers have visited the Brussels office in recent times and extract the information on that basis if Brussels cannot - or will not - provide it."