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Scottish Government spending £3,000 a month… on BISCUITS

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More than £3,000 a month is being spent on free shortbread, biscuits and Danish pastries by the Scottish Government.

SNP ministers spent more than £6,000 in just two months on confectionery – including home-baked scones and croissants – for guests and staff.

The government was asked through freedom of information to give the cost of sweet treats for meetings and events over the past three years.

But following several months of appeals it claimed it would only to be able to provide statistics for two months because of the expense involved in retrieving the information.

The figures, for August and September last year, revealed that the Victoria Quay offices in Edinburgh spent more than £2,000 on confectionery, while government HQ at St Andrew’s House was the second biggest spender at about £1,400 for the same period.

The government’s health department spent more than £1,500 in two months on thousands of biscuits at 54p each, croissants priced at £1.56 and 81p pieces of shortbread for events and meetings.

The Scottish Government's spending on biscuits has been questioned and criticised
The Scottish Government’s spending on biscuits has been questioned and criticised

The lowest spending offices were at the Marine Lab, which spent just £46.99 on 69 biscuits and seven home-baked scones.

Scottish Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone, criticised the spending.

He said: “The public will be surprised the Scottish Government has seen fit to spend this much on shortbread.

“We know Alex Salmond liked to boast about handing out Tunnock’s teacakes at Bute House, but perhaps taxpayers would be less amused if they could see the final bill.”

Eben Wilson, director of TaxpayerScotland, was also left unimpressed, saying: “Maybe the Scottish Government should look again at its departmental spending and put a circular around to all staff asking them to reconsider their sugar intake.”

And a former senior civil servant said: “When I started working 40 years ago you had to pass a hat round if you wanted to buy biscuits.

“As a taxpayer I’m scandalised, Young civil servants these days are totally spoiled.”

But a Scottish Government spokeswoman defended the spending.

She said: “Catering provision is only permitted for events or meetings with external visitors.

“As these figures indicate, hospitality spend applies to only a small proportion of the events and meetings that take place.”