Cover-up claim as secret parliament poll reveals hostility to Holyrood

The 64-page report - funded with 20,000 of taxpayers’ cash - found that a large majority of voters felt let down by the new parliament, and regard the Scottish Executive as little more than a ‘puppet government’.

Many Scots complained that Jack McConnell’s administration had failed to defend the national interest, and was in thrall to Westminster.

A majority of those interviewed admitted they were confused about what the parliament was for. Only one in five said they knew what the parliament was doing.

The report was handed over to parliament leaders in January this year, but has gathered dust ever since. Only a handful of people were previously aware of its explosive contents.

Last night, party leaders and senior MSPs said they had been left entirely in the dark over the survey, which was commissioned by Presiding Officer George Reid.

Leading politicians suggested the report had been covered up in a desperate bid by parliamentary officials to avoid more bad publicity for the parliament.

The report, called Communicating with Scotland’s People, was written by respected pollsters Mori and involved interviews and questionnaires with more than 1,000 Scots across the country. A copy has been obtained by Scotland on Sunday.

Mori concluded: "The attitudes expressed are generally negative... Although the existence of the Scottish parliament is widely seen as a positive development for Scotland, it is often viewed as ineffective, slow and cumbersome."

Mori found that 33% of Scots viewed the parliament favourably, 28% viewed it unfavourably and 31% remained ambivalent.

Mori found the fiasco surrounding the Holyrood building - which has seen the cost rise from 40m to 431m - had caused the most discontent, but also discovered the disaffection ran far deeper.

"Also common is a perception that the parliament has had little tangible impact to date and is generally beholden to Westminster in terms of legislation and funding," the report declared.

"There is a fairly common view that the UK government imposes policy on the Scottish Executive and that the latter is merely a ‘puppet government’ with no real power or influence."

Mori also found Scots were angered by the costs incurred in devolution, including "the level at which MSPs’ salaries are set, the perceived over-use of public relations and consultation exercises, and the creation of administration ‘quangos’".

The report is also damning for the parliament’s costly communications wing, which has apparently failed to inform the public about its efforts. "There is generally a lack of knowledge and understanding in the goings on in the Scottish parliament in detail... A common view is that the parliament is meant to represent the people of Scotland though there is confusion about what this means in reality."

Only 22% said they knew a fair amount or a lot about the parliament, compared with 37% in local councils and 31% in Westminster.

Although 77% of the public said they felt they knew at least a little about the parliament, MORI concluded that this represented "little real understanding".

"Knowledge of the basic functions of the parliament is low, with much uncertainty over the powers held by the parliament and confusion over which issues that are devolved or reserved to Westminster," the report adds.

Party leaders and political analysts said last night that the report would come as little surprise, reflecting the disappointment with the first five years of devolution. But they demanded that it be released in public.

Scots Tory leader David McLetchie said: "I am staggered that this report has been commissioned and then kept from public view. It does beg the question about whether its findings proved embarrassing."

He added: "It appears to tell us nothing we didn’t already know - most especially that Scots feel let down by Labour and the Lib Dems. Tomorrow, I expect the full findings to be made available to every MSP and to the people of Scotland who have paid for it."

SNP leader John Swinney said: "The discontent is partly due to real difficulties like the parliament building project, but it is also the consequence of the failure of government to make an impact. In 1997 people thought they were voting for something that would change their lives. It is very interesting now to see that many believe the parliament needs more powers."

Scottish parliament insiders said the findings were "damning".

"It’s no wonder they’d rather keep this secret," said one. "It shows that the attempts by the parliament to sell itself have been a total and utter failure. It has been totally amateurish from start to finish, run by civil servants who don’t understand how to do things."

A source close to First Minister Jack McConnell said: "There have been a number of surveys showing this kind of discontent, but I think people have to remember that devolution is still pretty young.

"Undoubtedly both the parliament and the government made some mistakes in the early years, but it is the First Minister’s view that this year could be a turning point.

"Once MSPs can put the parliament building behind them and sit in a proper debating chamber, hopefully people will see the value of devolution."

A spokeswoman for the Scottish parliament said the main use of the research was "as an internal document that will inform how the parliament can best engage the public."

She added: "The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will shortly have the opportunity to consider the report. After this it will be decided whether or not the report or parts of it will be more widely published."