Calls for Culture Minister to share what he knew about alleged misuse of funds at heritage body
Angus Robertson is being urged to "come clean" by Scottish Labour
Last updated 28th Jan 2026
Scotland's Culture Secretary is being asked to share what he knew about alleged misuse of public money by a senior employee at Historic Environment Scotland.
Emails which have been released under freedom of information show that Scottish Government officials expressed concerns about a press release from HES. It addressed claims the employee used an expensive dining room at Edinburgh Castle to host a private dinner during the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
The heritage body stated that the cost to hire the room, which is estimated to be around £12,000, was paid by the person in question.
However, the recently released emails show a Government official had concerns the room "wasn't paid for" and that the person used their position to access the facilities. The official also expressed doubt that HES had "all of the facts" when the statement was released.
Exchanges between HES and Scottish Government officials show that the director involved in the claim was also involved in issuing press lines, which was noted as "not appropriate" by an official at the heritage body.
Scottish Labour said that Government officials had access to this correspondence before Culture Secretary Angus Robertson appeared at the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee but he did not clarify the issue.
Neil Bibby, the party's culture spokesperson, said: "It is extraordinary that Angus Robertson did not see fit to disclose to MSPs that behind the scenes, his own officials expressed concerns about potentially misleading information regarding an HES director using their position to enjoy an exclusive dining room at Edinburgh Castle."
"This is a body that receives millions of pounds of public money each year, and so it is absolutely imperative that we have full transparency around the governance and conduct of those at senior levels.
"It is simply not good enough for Mr Robertson to use taxpayers' money to fund his trips around the world, whilst seemingly turning a blind eye to the serious issues that exist at HES.
"He must come clean about these emails and tell Parliament why he did not act."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The email exchange demonstrates Scottish Government giving advice in its sponsorship function to a public body on a matter which is under investigation.
"Following his appointment by the Culture Secretary, Sir Mark Jones's priorities as chair are to ensure HES has the trust of the public and its partners.
"The Culture Secretary and the Scottish Government will continue to support him in this endeavour to resolve the leadership and governance issues that have been raised."
A spokesperson for HES said the organisation "strongly rejects" deliberately issuing misleading information and that an investigation has been launched.
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