The Scottish Herald report:
GOVERNMENT spin doctors have now cost taxpayers almost £10million since the creation of the Scottish Parliament 14 years ago, figures show.
Statistics released under Freedom Of Information laws show the total cost of special advisers – known as ‘spads’ – has almost trebled from the days of Donald Dewar’s first devolved administration in 1999.
Mr Dewar employed seven spads – at a cost of £398,062 during his short tenure of office. The current wage bill for Alex Salmond’s tally of 13 stands at almost £1million a year.