Historic Environment Scotland hits back at claims of 'irregular' use of private Edinburgh Castle dining room

In a meeting of Holyrood’s constitution, Europe, external affairs and culture committee on Thursday, Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr claimed he had been told “by a number of people” that a HES director had eaten a meal with a single companion in the Queen Anne Building at the castle, which he claimed usually cost £12,000 to hire.

Mr Kerr insisted it was a “serious allegation of misconduct”. He said it was “essential” that both HES and Culture Secretary Angus Robertson now “investigate it thoroughly” amid allegations that HES directors “walk around like they own the castles”.

The dinner, which Mr Kerr described as being “very, very irregular”, is said to have taken place on August 11.

However, HES said the dinner, which involved a member of the organisation’s senior leadership team, had taken place in a bar in the building to accommodate a guest who was a wheelchair user - in an area not usually hired out separately. The organisation said the meal, which took place before the pair attended the Tattoo as guests, had been paid for by the HES employee.

At the culture committee meeting, which was attended by Alison Turnbull, the director of external relations and partnerships for HES, as part of a pre-Budget scrutiny session, Mr Kerr raised reports of a “toxic” culture at the heritage body. HES is responsible for more than 300 buildings and monuments of national importance across Scotland.

The MSP also pointed out the chief executive of the organisation was absent from work due to long-term illness, and added the chair had recently quit “before his time is due”.

A HES spokesperson said: “We are aware of the comments made at the culture committee today. To clarify, on August 11, a member of our executive leadership team was an invited guest of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and attended the performance that evening following a pre-show dinner at Edinburgh Castle.

“The dinner took place in the Queen Anne Building, which was being used throughout the Tattoo period for hospitality packages. On arrival, the employee and their guest, who permanently uses a wheelchair, were accommodated at a table in the bar area at the entrance to the building, by the catering provider, to ensure accessibility and comfort.”

The spokesperson added: “This area is not normally hired out separately during the Tattoo and does not carry a booking fee. They dined from the set menu and the guest’s meal was paid for by the HES employee. At no point was the main dining room hired for exclusive use, nor was it used by a single individual and their guest.”

Speaking at the meeting of the committee on Thursday morning, Mr Kerr said: “It has been brought to my attention by a number of people that on August 11 one of the directors of HES had a dinner with a companion in the Queen Anne Building, this is in Edinburgh Castle.”

Describing the facility there as being a “very prestigious room” and a “very expensive room”, the MSP added: “Two people, a director and a companion, dined in that space alone, which apparently, this is very very irregular.”

Mr Kerr said he planned to make a Freedom of Information request to “discover that the circumstance of this event were in the Queen Anne Building”.

He told the committee: “I think I might discover they paid a token amount – instead of £12,000, did they pay £50? £100? Or maybe they paid nothing at all?”

Ms Turnbull told him she was “not aware of this specific instance around this”. She told the committee: “All I can do, I can take it back and look into it and respond.”

However, she rejected claims of a “toxic” culture at HES, saying evidence from staff surveys showed “quite high marks” for areas such as employee experience and pride in the organisation.

Ms Turnbull accepted it had been a “difficult time” for the body, saying the Scottish Government had interviewed for a new chair.