Four cases of Tennent's among McConnell's official gifts

Published on Saturday 6 January 2007 01:33

JACK McConnell, the First Minister, received more than 100 gifts in 2005 - including an elephant statue and four cases of Tennent's Lager.

Ministers are required to declare all gifts received as part of their duties, and yesterday the Scottish Executive published the latest list, covering 2005. The First Minister tops it by a considerable margin, having received 106 gifts. There were very few gifts of significant value. Only two of the several hundred given to ministers were valued at more than 140.

One was an All Blacks rugby shirt, signed by the victorious 2005 squad, which was given to Patricia Ferguson, the sports minister, and is now on display in the Executive's headquarters.

The other was a signed print by an undisclosed painter given to Ms Ferguson by Richard Demarco, the Edinburgh impresario. Most gifts were tokens, given to ministers at functions and events around the country, but some are odd.

Elish Angiolini, then Solicitor General but now the Lord Advocate, was given a Rock Steady Security T-shirt by the firm in January, 2005 - something she is unlikely to wear in the course of her duties.

Robert Brown, the deputy education minister, and Mr McConnell were given "hoodies", or hooded sweatshirt tops, by the Scottish Youth Parliament.

For some, the gifts do have an appeal. Nicol Stephen, the deputy first minister and a keen golfer, received three rounds of golf, one from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Whether Peter Peacock, then education minister, would have appreciated the bottle-opener given to him in Melbourne by the Victoria parliament is another matter.