A FORMER Liberal Democrat minister has been accused of multiple serious breaches of corporate lobbying rules.
Tavish Scott, a former LibDem minister in the coalition Scottish government who now works as the chief executive of Salmon Scotland, is facing a formal complaint to Holyrood’s Ethical Standards Commissioner over his work representing the controversial fish farming industry, the Sunday Mail reported.
The Sunday Mail reported at least nine incidents which show Scott – who was leader of the LibDems in Holyrood from 2008 to 2011 – allegedly failed to record lobbying.
The complaints have been lodged by renewable energy entrepreneur Dale Vince’s Green Britain Foundation (GBF) pressure group.
Vince told the Sunday Mail: “We’re talking about an industry already knee-deep in environmental carnage, now apparently trying to dodge rules that keep our democracy honest.
“The public have a right to know which vested interests are whispering in our politicians’ ears.
“If Salmon Scotland’s been playing fast and loose with lobbying laws, what else are they hiding? This reeks of an industry that thinks it’s above the rules – whether that’s environmental regulations or democratic transparency. It’s time to drag their murky dealings into the light.”
Scotland’s farmed salmon market is estimated to be worth around £1 billion a year and it supports thousands of jobs.
Environmentalists have raised concerns the industry is spreading sea lice affecting wild salmon, and there has also been accusations of pollution and fish being held in poor conditions.
A source told the Sunday Mail: “Tavish has been a regular visitor to Parliament in connection with his work for Salmon Scotland.
“The industry has been the subject of a lot of criticism and scrutiny over its ecological credentials and it’s fair to say Tavish has been getting people’s backs up with his strident defence of the sector.
“He has been throwing his weight about, banging on incessantly about fish when people are just trying to do their jobs – the industry needs to be regulated and it’s Parliament’s job to consider these things.”
As a former MSP, Scott is entitled to hold a parliamentary access pass.
There are strict rules around lobbying and anyone entering Holyrood for this purpose must be signed in as a guest.
There is no evidence Scott has broken rules using the pass, and Scott has denied the allegations.
He said: “Dale Vince has a vegan food business and campaigns to ban all types of animal farming so that he can make even more money, making him a hypocrite of the worst kind.
“We will not be intimated by rich millionaires who choose to waste public resources on vexatious complaints and want 12,000 people who depend on fish farming to lose their jobs.
“Our job is to promote Scotland’s world-renowned salmon and we regularly engage with ministers, MSPs and civil servants to discuss the sector and the contribution our farmers make to the economy and low carbon food production.”
Meanwhile, a Salmon Scotland spokesperson said: “None of these meetings involved registered lobbying and several meetings did not even involve any individual where lobbying register rules would apply.
“Salmon Scotland complies with the lobbying register, and there are at present 166 returns publicly available.”
