Alex Salmond to answer phone hacking questions at Leveson Inquiry

A DATE has been set for Alex Salmond to appear before the the Leveson Inquiry into press standards next month as the First Minister repeatedly refused to say whether he has been a victim of phone hacking.

Mr Salmond’s proposed date for giving evidence to the judge-led inquiry will be 13 June, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said today.

The date is likely to be confirmed the week before Mr Salmond’s scheduled appearance before the inquiry in London.

The date was set as the First Minister insisted that he would only answer questions about whether he has been a victim of phone hacking when he appears before the Leveson inquiry.

Mr Salmond was pressed on the issue by the leaders of the three main opposition parties during First Minister’s questions at Holyrood today.

The First Minister also rejected calls from opposition parties for a Scottish Parliament inquiry into hacking, which he said could result in a “significant risk that a criminal investigation and criminal inquiry would be compromised”.