Spending on trips by civil servants ‘must be investigated’

Scotland’s public spending watchdog must investigate the use of taxpayers’ money by senior civil servants, critics have demanded. The calls come after a top official signed off on an exemption to government travel rules that allowed John Swinney, and the civil servant, to fly in luxury to the World Cup . Most commented 1 Niqabs and burqas harm society, says Tory shadow minister Politics 158 comments 2 Zohran Mamdani has betrayed us over Israel, say young socialists US politics 53 comments 3 Trump: Let Iran take out LA or San Diego US politics 27 comments 4 August Hanning: Ex-German spy chief arrested for espionage and treason Europe 21 comments 5 Asos ‘hacked’: app customers receive alert suggesting data breach Companies & Markets 23 comments In August the Times also revealed that the country’s permanent secretary Joe Griffin, the head of the civil service, organised a £10,000 seaside away day for himself and senior colleagues without the usual procurement processes. John Swinney with Scotland’s permanent secretary Joe Griffin The Scottish government also appeared to bypass the normal rules in awarding a £10,000 contract to a former SNP adviser for “technical advice” on “policy delivery”. Top stories 1 Andrew takes Thames Valley police to court over Jeffrey Epstein investigation Royal family However, the government appears to have no structure for checking whether such sums have been correctly spent by senior officials, whether acting independently or on behalf of ministers. Advertisement Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Conservative public reform spokesman, has written to the auditor general Stephen Boyle, citing all three Times articles. Murdo Fraser Alamy Stephen Boyle Andrew Milligan/PA Wire The MSP wrote: “It seems that both the first minister and the permanent secretary are able to authorise spending without any accountability. Top stories 1 Six thrilling Costa Rica trips with Times Holidays Promoted content “Whilst [MSPs] can raise these issues in a political context, there is no direct scrutiny role which can ask whether such spending is justified, particularly at this time of severe pressure on the public finances.” Fraser added: “Although the sums involved would appear to be modest in the context of the overall Scottish government budget, nevertheless there is public concern at both ministers and senior civil servants being able to authorise such expenditure without the appropriate checks or safeguards being in place. “I would be grateful for any action you are able to take as auditor general to investigate these items of spending, and indeed any similar costs which have not yet been exposed in the public domain.” Advertisement The Times revealed in August how Griffin had organised an away day for himself and seven department chiefs at a cost of at least £10,236. It was hosted in April by the charity International Futures Forum (IFF) at the Boathouse at Silver Sands beach in Aberdour, Fife, and came with “refreshments, lunch and snacks”. Silver Sands Beach in Aberdour Alamy According to government rules, spending of public money must be open to competition to ensure value for money and deter corruption. A contract can only be awarded without tender in exceptional circumstances, such as “extreme urgency”. However, documents showed the event was planned in good time, and officials first approached IFF last December, stating “[Griffin] is keen to run a team building/post-election readiness session at the Boathouse in Aberdour with his new Executive Team in April 2026.” The government insisted at the time that no rules were broken but would not say who reached that conclusion. A later response to a freedom of information request admitted “no review… [of whether procurement rules were breached] was carried out”. There also appeared to be no competition when NoTosh Ltd was handed taxpayers’ money in February to help senior civil servants “enable new thinking”. We told how owner Ewan McIntosh was part of a tight-knit digital media team run by the former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell and credited with helping the party win the 2011 Holyrood election. Advertisement Ewan McIntosh Another member of the group, Stephen Noon, is now a special adviser to Swinney, with responsibility for government strategy. The government said Noon played no role in awarding the contract and there is no suggestion McIntosh has acted improperly. Swinney and his close aides flew business class to watch Scotland’s opening World Cup match against Haiti in Massachusetts in June, at a cost of more £45,000. The seven-hour flight fell short of the ten-hour threshold specified in government rules for justifying an upgrade. It later emerged it was the first minister’s own aide, John Webster, who had signed off the expenditure. Audit Scotland reviews the government’s accounts annually but does not ordinarily scrutinise relatively small transactions. The civil service is ultimately accountable to parliament, but MSPs on the public audit committee only investigate matters raised by the auditor general. Advertisement Audit Scotland said every public body had an accountable officer with a “responsibility to ensure public money is used properly”. A spokesman added: “We have been contacted by Murdo Fraser MSP and will be replying in due course.” The Scottish government’s principal accountable officer is Joe Griffin. A Scottish government spokesman said: “We follow standards set out in the Scottish public finance manual. These include how public funds must be managed, the approvals required for spending, standards of governance, procurement rules, risk management requirements, financial reporting obligations and propriety in the use of public money.”