Exclusive:HES may have 'misled' over Edinburgh Castle private dining
Director of Historic Environment Scotland was suspended as part of a long-running probe into his conduct
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) may have 'misled' the public over controversies surrounding staff hospitality, according to government officials.
Scottish Government officials raised concerns about a statement released to the media following allegations about a HES director and private dining at Edinburgh Castle, it has emerged.
It followed reports that Marketing and Engagement Director Stephen Duncan took his wife for dinner in the exclusive Queen Anne Room at Edinburgh Castle, before a trip to the Edinburgh Tattoo, with the hospitality believed to cost between £250 and £350 a head.
According to reports, Mr Duncan paid only £30 for one meal
HES quickly refuted the claims at the time and said that the dinner took place in the bar area of the building to accommodate Mr Duncan’s guest, who was in a wheelchair. The guest’s dinner , chosen from a set menu, was paid for by the director, HES said at the time.
Now, correspondence released under Freedom of Information laws has shown Scottish Government officials telling quango bosses “those lines were potentially misleading”.
On September 12, a Scottish Government official raised concerns over the claims and stated that the room “wasn’t paid for” and that an employee had “potentially used their position to utilise the facilities that no one else could have done”.
The SG official went on to raise concerns about lines issued to the press, which they said; “state that nothing improper has happened” but added “HES do not appear to know all of the facts 24 hours after those lines were deployed, so those lines were potentially misleading”.
Recently, it was revealed that Mr Duncan and the Head of Communications, who reports directly to him, were involved in issuing media lines in the light of the Edinburgh Castle dinner allegations.
This media response was made within an hour of the issue being discussed in the Scottish Parliament and stated there was no wrongdoing on his part.
The Scotsman can also exclusively reveal the head of HR at HES urged the under-fire director to take sick leave when it became clear he was going to be suspended while allegations over use of hospitality - the Edinburgh Castle dinner and a separate ‘bottomless brunch - and the award of £100,000 worth of procurement contracts, were investigated.
Information obtained by The Scotsman reveals the Director of HR at HES, Lindsey Ross, emailed and telephoned Mr Duncan, advising him to “consider a period of sickness absence”.
Ms Ross’s interventions came within days of a “review” into Mr Duncan’s role at HES concluding. This review recommended he be suspended pending the outcome of a formal disciplinary process. He remained at work for a further two weeks before the suspension was finally handed down by HES.
The Scotsman can now reveal the media lines regarding the Edinburgh Castle dinner were signed off by Ms Ross.
The two directors are part of a collective grievance against Katerina Brown, the Chief Executive Officer of Historic Environment Scotland, which is currently being investigated.
A spokeswoman for HES said: “Historic Environment Scotland follows robust HR and media protocols at all times and any suggestion that these processes were circumvented or influenced by personal relationships is refuted.
“Decisions relating to HR matters are governed by established procedures and documented evidence, and any assertion to the contrary is without basis.
“Similarly, media responses are prepared in line with HES media protocols and supported by written documentation.”
In a separate statement, HES said an investigation into the media lines released in relation to the Edinburgh Castle dinner had now been launched.
A spokeswoman for HES said the organisation “strongly rejects the suggestion that we deliberately issued misleading information”.
She said: “HES considers the media statement issued on September 11 to be factually accurate based on the information known at the time and is supported by an email exchange between the director of marketing and engagement and the catering contractor.
“The information available was used by the media team to draft the response to the questions being asked – this was done independently of the director of marketing and engagement.
“In line with HES media protocols, the final media lines were reviewed and approved for release by the duty director.
“An investigation has subsequently been launched which Scottish Government are aware and supportive of.
“While we are committed to transparency, it would be inappropriate to comment on individual personnel matters or on any active investigative process.”
Scotland’s Auditor General released a report in December listing an array of serious concerns with governance at HES.
Many of the issues set out in Stephen Boyle’s report have been revealed in The Scotsman in recent months as HES whistleblowers became increasingly anxious for an intervention to be made.
Earlier this year HES chair Hugh Hall stepped down suddenly from his role amid concerns about his conduct and use of HES property.
CEO Katerina Brown was suspended from work after a collective grievance about her conduct from seven directors.
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