Michael Matheson has refused to take action to provide more transparency on the Scottish Police Authority and the appointment of its Chair.
And he refused to admit that the Scottish Government have interfered with the work of the SPA.
It comes after the Scottish Institute for Policing Research report was published, in which one former SPA board member stated that “every time we try to bite, the government removes a tooth…I have been shocked, absolutely shocked at the level of government interaction.”
It has led to further calls for the Police & Fire Reform Act 2012 to be revisited to ensure Parliament selects and re-appoints the Chair of the SPA rather than ministers.
But when asked at Topical Questions whether he would make changes to the Act, the justice secretary flatly refused to consider the idea.
Scottish Conservative MSP Margaret Mitchell said:
“Despite serious concerns being raised about the Scottish Government’s dealings with the SPA, the justice secretary refused to even admit that he and his ministers had intervened.
“We know from former SPA board members that they were meddling with the running of the police authority.
“And with the SPA chair relying on the good grace of the Cabinet Secretary to be re-appointed after their first term is up, it makes a mockery of the idea of the SPA being an independent body.
“We need to see serious reforms not only of the interaction ministers have with the SPA, but the whole of the parliament needs to have a say in the election and reappointment of its chair.”