Ministers treating parliament with ‘utter disdain’ says Tory MSP

Ministers are treating the Scottish Parliament with “utter disdain”, a Tory MSP has claimed.

Raising a point of order at the end of FMQs, Liam Kerr said MSPs had been “misled” by ministers over the use of statistics about windfarms.

The figure relates to a claim repeated by several ministers that Scotland had 25 per cent of Europe's offshore wind potential.

Campaign group These Islands highlighted issue earlier this month, saying it was “hugely exaggerating” Scotland’s potential.

Kerr raised the matter on Tuesday with junior minister Lorna Slater, who insisted that ministers used the figure they believed was “accurate at the time”.

This afternoon, Kerr said: “The information provided to parliament by minister Slater two days ago does not apparently accord with the facts. Parliament has been misled – again.”

“This is a government which appears to hold the ministerial code, and the honour and privilege of office, in utter disdain,” he added.

The Presiding Officer said corrections to the official record were a matter for individual members.

Slater had said the figure, which first appeared in a 2010 document, was “now out of date” but she insisted it “doesn’t change” the fact Scotland’s wind potential is “still significant”.