Yet it appears that the serious issues raised were not properly investigated by the watchdog, prompting more reports from senior medical staff about their fears for patient safety. What is the point of having a “watchdog” when it fails to do its job properly and leaves the public at risk?

Similarly, we have often seen poor work and returns coming from other costly quangos covering government functions, such as transport, education and the arts etc.

One must ask what government ministers actually do to monitor these bodies which carry out departmental responsibilities on their behalf. It seems to be a case of out of sight, out of mind!

Health Improvement Scotland has apologised for 'shortcomings' in an investigation into patient safety at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Bob MacDougall, Kippen, Stirlingshire

Family time?

Last year SNP MSP Angus Robertson did not stand for First Minister when the vacancy arose. He claimed he wanted to spend more time with his family. Fair enough.

But it is impossible not to be puzzled by his wish. Freshly back from a trip to Copenhagen, he appears set to fly out to the USA Tartan Week events in New York. At the turn of the year he had a trip to China. As usual, all these expenses were picked up by the taxpayer in Scotland, already buckling under the strain. How did we manage to survive for the century before devolution when there were none of these jollies overseas and we were part of an integrated UK and our status in the world was first rate? The expenses incurred by Air Miles Angus’s department when pretend embassies and so on are added to his jollies overseas are staggering. A small fraction of them could have paid for the cancelled writing festival recently lamented by the First Minister's predecessor in office.

In fact, if you look at Mr Robertson's department's spending and what benefit they have brought to Scotland, one must begin to wonder if devolution was perhaps not the best way to go.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Sloppy thinking

In a recent interview Humza Yousaf said that a “non-crime hate incident” would be recorded whenever the police investigated an allegation of hate crime and found that the allegation was unfounded. In other words, no crime had been committed and so there was nothing to investigate further. When he was asked why a non-incident should be recorded at all, he replied that the information would be useful when looking at the national picture and would reveal “spikes of hate”. What a sloppy piece of reasoning! In just a few sentences Yousaf went from saying that a non-incident was a nothing, an empty allegation, to saying that it was significant piece of information. It was a blatant self-contradiction, yet Yousaf seemed to be totally unaware of any problem.

This kind of sloppy reasoning leads to glaring inconsistencies in the treatment of individuals. Murdo Fraser has given a full account in this newspaper of his experience of having a non-incident recorded against his name and how his accuser tried to exploit the fact by taking it to the Ethics committee (Perspective, 26 March). Strangely, when Yousaf himself was alleged to have committed a hate crime, no record of a non-incident was made. That kind of inconsistency damages people's trust in our system of justice and in the Government too.

The solution to these inconsistencies and illogical statements is obvious – stop recording non-incidents against the name of the accused. The allegation was found to be groundless, perhaps even vexatious, so there is nothing to record as far as the accused is concerned. There is no sense in recording non-incidents since nothing happened. That was what happened when Yousaf was accused, so let us all enjoy the same privilege!

Les Reid, Edinburgh

Glib MSPs

When I read David Bol’s article, “Police flooded with hate complaints” (4 April), I was tempted to write to The Scotsman letters page, ironically, wondering why no-one had warned Humza Yousef that his “hate Bill” would produce exactly the result that it has, and probably will continue to do so until it is revoked.

But I realised that I would have asked a rhetorical question; one which was answered by former MSPs Johann Lamont and Alex Neil – “Politics in Scotland 'glib and immature' says former Labour leader Lamont” (News, same day). Both believe that the current MSPs in charge of Scottish politics have eroded democracy.

Ms Lamont “condemned a bit of a culture of zealotry” in Holyrood and Mr Neil blamed “the pernicious list system” for returning obedient lackeys to carry out, unquestioningly, every decision, vote for every Bill, that their masters tell them to.

The “hate crimes bill” is a perfect example of this, because it received cross-party support – although not from the Tories.

Alan Hinnrichs (Letters, 4 April) denounces Rishi Sunak for defending JK Rowling on the grounds of hypocrisy and he may be right, but when the Tory Party is the only one to challenge Humza Yousaf's, “illiberal, poorly thought” Bill, which is “open to misuse and stifles debate”, I cheer them on.

Someone, somewhere must challenge “the cosiness, glibness and laziness” which dominates Holyrood, and if it's Rishi and his party, I applaud them.

Lovina Roe, Perth

Waste of time

Murdo Fraser (Perspective, 3 April) says educational levels in Scotland have fallen greatly in international rankings. He gives no details.

If so, then they have also dropped in England since there are few meaningful differences in scores between the two. We do not have international comparisons for housing, health, diet, parenting etc, which all have major effects on education. Why, then, are there comparisons of exam results in countries with very different societies.? It is a waste of public money. and only provides politicians with ammunition to criticise opponents.

Mr Fraser wants the First Minister to do something for schools but does not say what. Might it be to copy Mr Sunak and decide that all pupils must study maths for 13 years, whether or not they wish to.? Tories claim to favour personal choice but don’t think such extends to children.

There is already a shortage of maths teachers, who have many other job opportunities Few will choose to teach rebellious pupils who have no interest in their subject. Mr. Sunak never attended a state school, qualified as a teacher or taught anywhere, so is hardly qualified to say what should happen in schools. What do the Scottish Tories think about this?

What matters is whether pupils are happy with their schools . One doubts that those in Texas, Bulgaria, Morocco and elsewhere care that their exam results are lower than those in Scotland. Nor should they.

I am no fan of the SNP and deplore its anti-democrat desire for a “Tory-free” Scotland. We need strong opposition parties who command my respect. The Scottish Tories fail to do so.

John Munro, Glasgow

Not funny

Standing down at the general election, SNP MP Mhairi Black is to launch herself on the Scottish public as a comedian. She promises us a no-holes barred exposé of the Westminster world she loves telling us she loathes.

In ten years, Westminster has paid her not too far short of a million pounds (in today’s terms), plus pension contributions and significantly in excess of a million in expenses.

Perhaps in her comic sketches, she'll gloss over these eye-watering amounts and focus on attacking the Tories, though probably also anyone and everyone in Westminster who doesn't subscribe to her separatist mindset will be targeted.

But in so doing, she surely risks falling foul of Humza Yousaf's controversial Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act?

Or are we to discover that this particular piece of legislation is in practice unworkable or maybe simply to be applied selectively?

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire

Historic tat

Having recently visited several Historic Scotland properties I was appalled and embarrassed by the merchandise on offer in their shops. Every one had the same poor quality foreign tartan tat, as well as extortionately priced plastic toys.Whoever the buyer is obviously thinks one size fits all regardless of where the property is.

Historic Scotland is missing a huge opportunity to showcase what Scotland really has to offer by way of crafts and other merchandise. It shows us in a poor light.

Hopefully this letter will be a wake-up call.

Avril Lamont, Oban, Argyll and Bute

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Readers' Letters: What's the point of quangos if they don't act?

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