Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray - Statement on events
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00The next item of business is a statement by Neil Gray on ministerial events. The cabinet
00:06secretary will take questions at the end of his statement and therefore there should be
00:11no interventions or interruptions.
00:13I call on Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray. Up to 10 minutes, please.
00:19Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am providing this statement to Parliament on ministerial
00:23events and engagements in response to a request from other parties.
00:29Members will be aware of media reports in recent days noting that I attended sporting
00:34events in my capacity as a minister. All of the information contained in those reports
00:40is derived from the Scottish Government's proactive publication of the ministerial engagements.
00:47In other words, those engagements are known about because we routinely and systematically
00:53publish details of all ministerial engagements. That is in line with the ministerial code.
01:01For as long as there have been ministers in Scotland and in the rest of the UK, they have
01:07attended a range of engagements and events in their official capacity, as is right. Attendance
01:14is one part of Government business that allows ministers to engage and build relationships
01:19with key stakeholders and to help to promote Scotland as a place to visit, work and invest
01:26in.
01:27I am sure that members will recognise that sport and major sporting events are one such
01:32critical sector, bringing significant economic benefits to Scotland and acting as a key driver
01:40in improving the health and wellbeing of our nation. Sport also provides a significant
01:45platform to engage domestically and internationally on a range of different issues.
01:52As the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, I have attended a number of sporting events
01:57in order to demonstrate my support and the Scottish Government's support to the governing
02:03bodies of sport, competitors and officials. I will come on to speak in further detail
02:09about my attendance at sporting events and football matches in a second and to set out
02:16for the Parliament the detail of those engagements and my engagement in line with the Scottish
02:22ministerial code.
02:24Before I do so, I want to make one thing very clear. The role of ministers in attending
02:29events is clearly long established. It is undertaken by ministers here and in every
02:36other administration in the UK. Indeed, I expect that ministers across the UK are attending
02:43events this week, including sporting events, as official engagements. That is right.
02:48I point that out to make it crystal clear that attendance at such events is legitimate.
02:54What would not be legitimate would be to use that role as a way to pursue non-ministerial
02:59interests, including as a fan. It is a matter of regret to me that, by attending four Aberdeen
03:09games, I have given the impression of acting more as a fan and less as a minister.
03:16I did, of course, attend other football games—Scotland men's teams games—and other sporting events,
03:23but when it comes to domestic football, I should have ensured that I went to see teams
03:28other than Aberdeen. It was not planned that way, but I should not have allowed that situation
03:35to develop. I should have made sure that I attended a wider range of games and not just
03:40Aberdeen, and I apologise for my error.
03:46It is a well-established and recognised rule, as set out in the Scottish ministerial code,
03:52that ministers should not accept any gifts, hospitality or services from anyone that would
03:57or might reasonably appear to place them under any obligation to people or organisations.
04:04That is, as the code also sets out, primarily a matter of judgment for ministers who are
04:10personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of
04:15the code and for justifying their actions and conduct to Parliament and the public.
04:21It is on that basis that I was happy to accept the Opposition Party's calls for a statement
04:27on those matters today and to take the opportunity to set out clearly the full facts of my attendance
04:33at sporting events, in line not only with my ministerial responsibilities but with obligations
04:40incumbent on me, as set out in the ministerial code.
04:43I have focused my remarks on those engagements that have been reported in the media, but
04:48I would be happy to provide further information on any sporting events that I have attended
04:53in my ministerial role.
04:55I attended the Viacom Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on 4 November 2023, at the invitation
05:01of the SPFL. I had discussions with key stakeholders on the work of the SPFL Trust in supporting
05:08community wellbeing across Scotland. I heard how sports chaplaincy services support top-level
05:14athletes in Scotland and held discussions on the significant contribution that football
05:18can make to the wellbeing economy.
05:21I attended the Viaply Cup final at Hampden Park on 17 December 2023, as a guest of the
05:28SPFL. I engaged in discussions with key stakeholders relating to the issue of pyrotechnics at football
05:34matches, planning for the European championships in Germany and potential opportunities for
05:39business engagement and, again, on how football can continue to support community wellbeing
05:45participation and engagement with those in the surrounding communities, particularly
05:51around the festive holidays.
05:53I attended the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on 20 April 2024, at the invitation
05:59of the Scottish Football Association. I had a detailed discussion about investment into
06:04the sport, particularly at grass-roots level, and the impact that football clubs can have
06:09as anchor organisations in their local communities, delivering a wide range of social benefits.
06:15I attended a football match at Pataudrie in Aberdeen on 15 May 2024, as a guest of the
06:21Aberdeen Community Trust. That was part of a wider programme of events that day in Aberdeen
06:27to coincide with mental health awareness week, which included the announcement by me of new
06:32funding for the new changing rooms extra time programme, a mental health round-table meeting
06:39with mental health charity SamH, a round-table meeting with the SPFL Trust and a visit to
06:45St Macher academy.
06:47As is noted, each of those engagements provided key opportunities to speak with and hear from
06:55key stakeholders. A number of substantive discussions have been held, for example, around
07:00our on-going work to increase investment into grass-roots sport, on the wider social benefits
07:07that clubs can bring to local communities and on how sporting events can help attract
07:12business investment.
07:14In addition to those Aberdeen games, and for completeness, I attended the Scotland
07:19versus Norway match at Hampden in November 2023, the World Indoor Athletics in Glasgow
07:26also in March this year, the Open golf championship in Troon in July this year and the Scotland
07:33Portugal game at Hampden last month.
07:36Although not all ministerial events attended will involve meetings that are minuted, there
07:41is a summary note available of topics covered during discussions at the majority of those
07:46engagements being reported on, as aligned to obligations at 4.23 and 4.24 within the
07:53ministerial code, to ensure that discussions relating to Government business are appropriately
07:59recorded.
08:00Ministers attending events in a ministerial capacity use Government transport. In planning
08:06travel, all ministers adhere to a set of guiding principles set out in the ministerial code
08:12around propriety, efficient use of resources, cost consciousness and security. All travel
08:20arrangements for ministers are made in line with corporate travel policy and Government
08:25car service guidance. On occasion, and depending on the nature of an official ministerial visit,
08:30guests, including family members, are allowed to attend, but that is generally at no cost
08:36to the taxpayer.
08:38For completeness, I was joined at six football matches, including Scotland games, by a family
08:44member or guest. They travelled with me, but that did not come at any additional cost to
08:51the taxpayer.
08:52Presiding Officer, I hope that the detail that I have provided assures colleagues that
08:57all my engagements are always about official ministerial business. Ministers across these
09:04islands—whether SNP, Labour or previously Conservative ministers in London—are right
09:09to attend sporting events as ministers. It is crucial that we engage and support sport,
09:16and we are seen to do so.
09:17That said, I am a football fan and I follow Aberdeen, but I should not have allowed the
09:23impression to be given that that played any role in my engagements, and I am sorry for
09:28my error.