Student loans chief in tax scandal got job with help of SNP ministers
Hugh Henry has demanded answers from SNP ministers
SCOTTISH ministers were involved in the controversial decision to appoint the head of the Student Loans Company who has been paid via a company without tax being deducted, a series of letters has revealed.
The decision to hand the role of chief executive of the Student Loans Company to Ed Lester was agreed by the Westminster government “jointly with Scottish Ministers”, a letter from the UK Minister for Universities David Willetts to the Glasgow-based firm showed.
A separate letter from the Student Loans Company to Mr Willetts in December 2010 also confirmed that “approval is being sought in parallel from Scottish ministers by Scottish officials” for the appointment of Mr Lester.
The UK government was previously heavily criticised for allowing Mr Lester to save tens of thousands of pounds in tax from his £182,000 salary, after the taxation arrangements were disclosed in an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) letter obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
However, the SNP government was yesterday attacked for its possible role in the decision to “sanction tax avoidance schemes for top civil servants” such as Mr Lester, with ministers urged to publish all the paperwork the administration holds about the appointment.
Scottish Labour’s education spokesman, Hugh Henry, said that SNP ministers should now say “what they were told about his salary and unusual employment arrangements”, as he demanded to know which figure in the Scottish Government had “signed off on the appointment”.
Mr Henry also claimed that a senior civil servant from Scotland education minister Michael Russell’s department has been involved in the decision to appoint Mr Lester.
He said: “I hope we are all agreed that it is unacceptable for ministers to sanction tax avoidance schemes for top civil servants. Scottish ministers need to speak up if they knew about this. The letters which have now emerged are a curious development and one which requires answers from Scottish ministers.
“Since they authorised the appointment of Ed Lester in this manner, we need to know what Scottish ministers knew of his tax avoidance arrangement. Now we need to know which Scottish minister signed off on the appointment and what they were told about his salary and unusual employment arrangements. In particular, which ministers and officials in the Scottish government had sight of the letter setting out the proposed employment arrangements?
A Scottish Government spokesman yesterday admitted that Mr Russell had “agreed with the appointment” of Mr Lester. The spokesman said: “In appointing Mr Lester to his post, Department for Business Innovation & Skills ministers consulted Mr Russell, who agreed with the appointment as did the lead ministers of the other devolved nations. While Mr Russell was advised of Mr Lester’s package as a matter of routine, no sense was given of how this could be a tax avoidance issue.”
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Comments
There are 87 comments to this article
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scottishcoffindodgerno1
Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 08:16 AMi have on good authority,lord they did it deliberlitly foulkes,that the Snp ordered the asassanation of charles the first during the civil war,and they have ordered a new fifth forth bridge.
Anagach
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 09:17 PMSo how many Scots civil servants are paid this way and how many England and Wales based civil servants are paid this way?.
Anagach
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 09:15 PM83 Simonsaid SNP... Cause of the Eurozone crisis.... USA chaos... Yanks most wanted = MegrahiS o whit’s the point o postin a load o rubbish when ye ken that every word ye posted is jist that – A LOAD O RUBBISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So you support economic protectionism, illegal fixing of tenders and not free trade, and you think the USA lists Megrahi as "Most Wanted" or in fact has issued any warrant at all. Rubbish is indeed what you post. As rubbish as the fake scots you post but then forget youre 'persona' and drop.
ali2011
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 09:03 PMI have turned to reading the Glasgow Herald for a fair representations of all political parties in Scotland. Their articles are fair to all the parties and the comments from their readers are so adult and not the childish and ignorant comments you get in this paper. I used to buy the Scotsman as a resident in Edinburgh every day but I find myself as an SNP supporter my party is being continually abused by this paper in such a biased way that I have had enough. I have never read so much anti SNP journalism in any other newspa[per . Farewell Scotsman I will not miss you.
Simonsaid
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 03:28 PM#69- Jimson - I suppose the SNP is also responsible for Israel's threat to Iran? Or perhaps the problems in the Eurozone? Maybe for the chaos in the USA? ================================================== Well there is no chance of that as it is Iran that has been doing all the threatening- And I believe that AM-AN-EEJIT-DAD is on record as saying he wants to wipe Israel off the face of the map – you cannot get any more threatening that. Also, you cannot say the SNP is the Cause of the Eurozone crisis when it is doing its best to give Forth Bridge contracts to the Spanish and Poles at the expense of Scottish jobs. As for the USA – You cannot blame the SNP fur causing chaos there either– No Salmond has not caused chaos there – he has caused anger as he wis responsible releasing the one of the Yanks most wanted = MegrahiS o whit’s the point o postin a load o rubbish when ye ken that every word ye posted is jist that – A LOAD O RUBBISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mordor
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 03:24 PMWhat is left of the Labour Party is little more that extremist academics and students who they have managed to indoctrinate. The fact that their eyeballs swivel so much that they are incapable of seeing that adults will look at a story such as this and say "What kind of a nutter wrote this" and then recognise there is something deeply rotten at the heart of the labour party tells you why they are incapable of knowing why the Labour Party is being destroyed.
Tintock Pete
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 03:19 PMMost of the building trade are paid the same way. I've not paid income tax or NI. for years due to it. The article conveniently omits how much the "employer" saves in NI. contributions, sick pay, pension and public liability etc....
Simonsaid
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 02:34 PM#78- well informed -63 Which part of the headline indicates that there is even a doubt of truth in it mentioned anywhere in the story?? ================================================== Eh? – when did ye learn joined-up writin? Whenever it wis ye hiv no been daein long enough. Am certain ye hud nae intention o agreein wi ma post bit ye hiv managed tae mangle yer words intae agreein wi me when ye meant tae dae the opposite - Dopey Dozey.
well informed
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 01:45 PM76 One of you lying articles no doubt eh?
well informed
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 01:43 PM63 Lying git!!! Which part of the headline indicates that there is even a doubt of truth in it mentioned anywhere in the story?? phuqing moron!
baggy troosers
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 01:36 PM#76Simple simon. Shut up and eat yer greens.
Simonsaid
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 01:30 PM#73- baggy troosers- I'm also led to believe the Scotsman is looking into the case of Who killed Cock Robin , apparently the SNP are mixed up in it. ================================================== #72- baggy troosers- I wonder if it was really the SNP and not the IRA that planted the bomb in Brighton that almost dispatched Thatcher to meet her maker. ================================================== #71- baggy troosers- If the Scotsman digs deep enough i'm sure it will find a link that will prove beyond any doubt it was the SNP that organised the Kennedy assassination in 1963. ================================================== I wid like to draw attention tae a ‘elf and safey issue here. As ye can see frae the above posts Baggy Troosers his gon aff his heid. This his been brocht aboot by the fact thit he his been tryin tae read the Scotsman wi his baggy troosers ower his heid; Cure – if ye ur gonny be glaikit enough tae try that , the least ye can dae is pull the zip doon. I’am
Graham Day
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 01:09 PMJust to let you's know "notoscottishindependence" is a little pizza faced cretin called Ali Syme. A Labour party member from a posh suburb of Glasgow , you could barely get a fag paper between the wee idiot and a Tory.
Simonsaid
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 01:07 PM#65- Huntly Loon- Simonsaid. If you read what I had written you will see that I refer to the distorted headlines to articles which when examined in the light of the truth are ================================================== I have taken your advice and revisited your #65 post and all I see are accusations of distorted headlines plus a whinge about the Scotsman’s perceived intent to show the SNP in a bad light. What is glaringly missing from your post is proof that either of these paranoiac whinges are anything other than….. PARANOIC WHINGES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
baggy troosers
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 12:59 PMI'm also led to believe the Scotsman is looking into the case of Who killed Cock Robin , apparently the SNP are mixed up in it.
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