By Editor,Michael Blackley Scottish
Copyright dailymail
SNP government ministers have been accused of acting like the Mafia after a summit on the scourge of seagulls excluded the MSPs who raised the issue .
The event at the quango NatureScot’s Inverness headquarters next Tuesday to discuss the impact of urban gulls following concerns about the number of people being attacked and injured is by invitation only.
Local MSPs, including former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross and ex-Rural Economy Minister Fergus Ewing, have not been invited despite leading the campaign on the issue on their constituents’ behalf. It has led to claims ministers are acting like the Mafia by holding the meeting ‘behind closed doors’.
SNP Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie last night said the summit would be ‘a focused opportunity for those on the ground’ to discuss the issue.
But Mr Ross, MSP for the Highlands and Islands region said: ‘This “seagull summit” was only agreed to by Scottish Government ministers following persistent questioning and debates in parliament but they are excluding MSPs because we would raise difficult and challenging questions.
‘The whole thing reeks of a stitch-up and a sham. Invitations are being sent out at the last minute to a heavily restricted number of people and the whole agenda is designed to support the minister and NatureScot.
‘They are more interested in protecting these birds rather than the people being attacked by them.’
‘I’m angry and fed-up that this summit will now be a pathetic excuse for the minister and NatureScot to tick a box of consulting with communities.’
Mr Ewing, who has been contacted by hundreds of constituents in Inverness and Nairn who have been the victim of gull attacks, had demanded that the event be held in public, independently chaired, open to press and MSPs and well promoted in advance.
He said: ‘Instead Fairlie has decreed it’s being held at Nature-Scot’s HQ, behind closed doors. It’s as though it’s a Mafia meeting.’
Mr Ross used a parliamentary procedure yesterday to raise concerns about the summit not being livestreamed and accuse ministers of ‘not listening to the public’.
He called for the event to be postponed and for ministers to instead commit to arranging a ‘truly open and transparent’ summit.
The Scottish Government said the event will bring together ‘key stakeholders from local government, public health bodies, housing associations, waste management organisations, and community groups’.
Mr Fairlie said: ‘I will be more than happy to engage on the subject further with parliamentary colleagues in parliament.’
A NatureScot spokesman said: ‘NatureScot is assisting the Scottish Government in making preparations for the minister’s summit, the purpose of which is to bring together representatives of those most directly involved in managing gulls on the ground to share views from all sides of the debate and work together to find practical shared solutions to the issue.’
