Visitscotland row flares up again

Reports that Visitscotland is to take the blame for the bungled appointment of erstwhile chief executive Rod Lynch have sparked a row in the Scottish Parliament.

It is understood Visitscotland, formerly the Scottish Tourist Board, is offering to pay Lynch's legal fees and absolve him of any wrong-doing.

But claims that he is in line for £145,000 compensation were described by Visitscotland as "pure speculation until a full decision is reached."

Lynch's £145,000-a-year job offer was withdrawn days after his appointment when he refused to give up his second job as chairman and chief executive of Global Supply Systems, an Essex-based air cargo firm.

Scottish Conservatives used the latest reports to attack their parliamentary opposition.

Tory leader David McLetchie said: "Visitscotland may officially be taking the rap for this particular shambles, but there is little doubt about who is really to blame - Wendy Alexander, the enterprise minister and her colleagues in the executive.

"No amount of spin can conceal the simple truth that this embarrassing and expensive debacle has their fingerprints all over it."