Letter: Silence of TIE boss

After a successful lifetime at John Menzies Group, David Mackay, the chairman of Transport Edinburgh (since February 2006), of Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (since November 2008) and of Lothian Buses (since July 2010), is paid a substantial salary by these publicly-owned companies.

He is accused of a conflict of interest and of imposing a culture of secrecy and lack of transparency over possible subsidies from the bus operation to the tram project.

On his appointment to TIE he congratulated his predecessor Willie Gallagher, who was responsible for the main procurement contracts, for establishing a "high-calibre team who work to stringent standards and many of whom have been engaged on other tram schemes and major construction projects".

Michael Hamilton's letter (12 October) was the most sensible analysis of the contractual and operating shambles of the trams project published to date.

In the Freedom of Information Act Publication Scheme, Mr Mackay is designated as the "person responsible" for the scheme on behalf of TIE Ltd.

He initially declined to speak to The Scotsman (your report, 12 October) and has now deigned to make the briefest possible defence of the merger of Lothian Buses and TIE (16 October), but continues to remain silent on the major contractual and operating issues and on the criticisms of his personal position.

His attitude bears comparison to the invisible and silent chairman of BP during the Gulf oil spill.

John Birkett

Horseleys Park

St Andrews, Fife