Whitehall 'negligent'

Published on Saturday 31 January 2009 18:49

WHITEHALL mandarins have developed a "negligent position" towards Scotland since the SNP came to power, the former head of the Scottish civil service has claimed.

Sir Muir Russell says that the London-based civil service is losing touch with Scotland as a result of the SNP succeeding Labour as the party in power in Edinburgh.

Russell also indicated he was in favour of devolving sales tax or VAT to Edinburgh in his submission to the Calman Commission, the body set up by the pro-Union parties to examine the constitution. Russell, Scotland's permanent secretary from 1999 to 2003 and now principal of Glasgow University, said:

"Getting resonance for Scotland is quite tricky. I detect a slight feeling of 'why don't the Scots just get on with it?' It is not malign, but a negligent position."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The SNP Government is pursuing policies that are looked on with envy south of the border, such as the scrapping of prescription charges and the council tax freeze. But, on a day-to-day basis, we have a very high level of co-operation both at a ministerial level and official level."