{"id":417106,"date":"2025-09-12T00:24:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T00:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/417106\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T00:24:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T00:24:32","slug":"tory-demands-probe-into-serious-allegation-of-misconduct-after-castle-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/417106\/","title":{"rendered":"Tory demands probe into \u2018serious allegation of misconduct\u2019 after castle dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Culture secretary Angus Robertson is being challenged to investigate claims that a director of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) enjoyed a private dinner at a \u201cprestigious\u201d part of Edinburgh Castle.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said a \u201cnumber of people\u201d had brought to his attention that an unnamed director and a companion had dinner in the historic castle\u2019s Queen Anne Building, which he said could cost up to \u00a312,000 to hire.<\/p>\n

The dinner, which Kerr described as being \u201cvery, very irregular\u201d, is said to have taken place on August 11 \u2013 when the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo was taking place.<\/p>\n

The Tory insisted it was a \u201cserious allegation of misconduct\u201d, adding it was \u201cessential\u201d that both HES and the culture secretary now \u201cinvestigate it thoroughly\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kerr said: \u201cHES receives \u00a374 million of taxpayers\u2019 money. It must be fully accountable for how it operates and its senior executives must be beyond reproach.\u201d<\/p>\n

His comments came after he raised reports of a \u201ctoxic\u201d culture at the HES \u2013 the body which is responsible for more than 300 buildings and monuments of national importance across Scotland.<\/p>\n

Kerr noted that the chief executive of the organisation is currently off with long-term illness, and added that the chair had left \u201cbefore his time is due\u201d.<\/p>\n

He pressed Alison Turnbull, the director of external relations and partnerships at HES, over this matter when she appeared before MSPs on Holyrood\u2019s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.<\/p>\n

Kerr told her that press reports regarding HES \u201csuggest that there seems to be some form of crisis in the organisation\u201d, with the Conservative adding that \u201ctoxic working environments have been mentioned\u201d.<\/p>\n

The MSP went on to raise concerns over \u201cinternal control and the directors\u2019 attitude towards managing the public finance\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said allegations had been made that HES directors \u201cwalk around like they own the castles\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kerr said: \u201cIt has been brought to my attention by a number of people that on August 11 one of the directors of HES had a dinner with a companion in the Queen Anne Building, this is in Edinburgh Castle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Describing the facility there as being a \u201cvery prestigious room\u201d and a \u201cvery expensive room\u201d, the MSP continued: \u201cTwo people, a director and a companion, dined in that space alone, which apparently, this is very very irregular.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr said he now plans to make a Freedom of Information request to \u201cdiscover that the circumstance of this event were in the Queen Anne Building\u201d.<\/p>\n

He told the committee: \u201cI think I might discover they paid a token amount \u2013 instead of \u00a312,000, did they pay \u00a350? \u00a3100? Or maybe they paid nothing at all?\u201d<\/p>\n

Turnbull told him she was \u201cnot aware of this specific instance around this\u201d.<\/p>\n

She told the committee: \u201cAll I can do, I can take it back and look into it and respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, she rejected claims of a \u201ctoxic\u201d culture at HES, saying evidence from staff surveys showed \u201cquite high marks\u201d for areas such as employee experience and pride in the organisation.<\/p>\n

She accepted it has been a \u201cdifficult time\u201d for the body, saying the Scottish Government had interviewed for a new chair<\/p>\n

Turnbull also made clear: \u201cIn terms of HES and delivering business as usual, we are going ahead with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said:\u00a0\u201cWe are aware of the comments made at the Culture Committee today. To clarify, on August 11, a member of our Executive Leadership Team was an invited guest of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and attended the performance that evening following a pre-show dinner at Edinburgh Castle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dinner took place in the Queen Anne Building, which was being used throughout the Tattoo period for hospitality packages. On arrival, the employee and their guest, who permanently uses a wheelchair, were accommodated at a table in the bar area at the entrance to the building, by the catering provider, to ensure accessibility and comfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis area is not normally hired out separately during the Tattoo and does not carry a booking fee. They dined from the set menu and the guest\u2019s meal was paid for by the HES employee. At no point was the main dining room hired for exclusive use, nor was it used by a single individual and their guest.\u201d<\/p>\n

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