The Scottish Government has been caught up in another secrecy row after it refused to release where Nicola Sturgeon travelled in her ministerial limo for the last year, despite her stepping down as First Minister.
She announced her resignation in February and has been a backbench MSP since the end of March after Humza Yousaf won the race to replace her at Bute House.
But despite her new status outside the government, an attempt to procure backdated information about her travels in taxpayer-funded cars over her final 12 months in office was blocked.
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However, it was confirmed by officials that she is no longer allowed use of the Government Car Service since she left her role as First Minister.
The Scottish Daily Express used freedom of information laws to request all of her car journeys between March 2021 and February 2022 but were told that this cannot be provided due to “Police Scotland advice.”
Officials wrote: “In accordance with advice from Police Scotland, the First Minister’s car travel arrangements are not published.” This means that any taxpayer-funded road journeys Ms Sturgeon undertook in recent years will remain a secret.
And the Scottish Government confirmed that she was no longer allowed use of a “ministerial car” because she had left office and was now a backbencher.
Officials wrote: “On demitting office, a First Minister no longer has access or use of the Government Car Service.” She is currently learning to drive to get back “some freedom.”
Details of Ms Sturgeon’s car trips were routinely published until May 2017 when the practice abruptly stopped. Other ministers continue to have records made public after about four months.
It is not yet known whether Humza Yousaf will also be subject to the same reporting restrictions as his predecessor as his journeys and engagements as First Minister have yet to be published.
The Scottish Daily Express has been involved in a long-running secrecy battle with the Scottish Government surrounding this issue, and appealed to the Scottish Information Commissioner asking for backdated details of Ms Sturgeon’s car journeys to be released, but this was rejected.
And when we sent a Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland requesting a copy of the advice, officials said they had no record of it.
The ministerial car service is an expensive endeavour, with the vehicles being utilised by all 28 members of the current ministerial team to ferry them around engagements.
We previously told how the cost was around £1m a year with the cash going towards fuel and general care of the 30 vehicles, with the majority of them now hybrids.
But there has been a furore surrounding the fleet in recent years, with some ministers taking advantage of the scheme to travel a few hundred yards from St Andrew’s House to the Scottish Parliament. Others are using the chauffeur-driven cars to travel between their constituencies and their second homes in Edinburgh.
Ms Sturgeon has been taking driving lessons to replace being ferried around by a personal driver and car as she looks to get back some freedom.
She has been pictured outside her home in Uddingston in a learner car as she gets used to life without a taxpayer-funded lift to events and Holyrood.
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