Readers' letters: Shroud of secrecy over government

Spending on settlement pay-outs to former public sector employees amounted to £2.6 million in the last year.

The taxpayer will naturally be concerned and no doubt would like to know why his money was spent in this way.

However, since £796,660 of it was spent on settlements covered by non-disclosure agreements he will never get an answer.

The SNP, of course, has considerable form in this regard.

Responses to Freedom of Information requests are routinely refused, delayed or redacted beyond comprehension.

Pressure is regularly exerted - in some cases successfully - upon what should be independent bodies such as Public Health Scotland, the National Records of Scotland and the OECD to alter and/or delay reports.

The current and previous Auditor General have frequently been critical of the SNP's failure of transparency in relation to public spending. Even the Auditor General himself has been subjected to pressure to alter reports.

Demands to release details of legal advice on issues of national interest have been simply refused.

Currently Scottish Government committees are being thwarted in their efforts to make ministers reveal crucial information on the awarding of the Calmac ferries contract and the dealings with Sanjeev Gupta.

These are only some examples of the culture of secrecy at the heart of this SNP government.

The SNP are now pinning all their hopes on a last desperate weapon in its armoury of secession slogans - the so-called "denial of democracy" .

A perfect example of this is provided by its own tenacious commitment to shrouding its operations in secrecy.

Colin Hamilton, Edinburgh

It’s time the SNP put our welfare first

I have just read the First Minister’s New Year message and I truly hope that this time she actually means what she says.

I am of an age where I can remember at least 16 hospitals serving Edinburgh. Yes, 16.

We had the most fantastic health service and great people working in it. We still have great people working in it but for how much longer?

The SNP need to really focus on the people of Scotland who live and work here and appreciate them and start to sit round the table and decide how to go forward without blaming anyone else.

Forget independence and concentrate on getting the right people in the right jobs, including in the Scottish Parliament.

Because the people of Scotland will not put up with much more of this blaming everyone and anyone but the people who are supposed to be running the country.

Get your house in order and show us that you really mean what you say because time is running out and people are running out of support and patience.

Mrs Susan Smart, Penicuik

Vegans should tackle big meat producers

Elisa Allen, PETA Foundation says "Now's the perfect time to go vegan" (letters 31 December).

PETA is using climate change as an excuse to push their own vegan agenda. Does PETA really think that a few more people in the UK going vegan will save the planet?

There are 1.5 billion cattle, 1 billion sheep and 1 billion pigs in the world. The UK has 5.1 million cattle, 14 million sheep and 4.7 million pigs.

Ms Allen and her like minded friends should go to the largest meat producers India, Brazil, China, USA and Argentina anto spread their campaign.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow

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