SNP quango ‘promotes surgery to cut size of male breasts'
The SNP's public sector is so 'bloated' that it includes a quango that promotes male breast-reduction surgery, the Scottish Tory leader has alleged.
Russell Findlay highlighted the inclusion of a body called This is Remarkable Ltd in the Scottish Government's current directory of public organisations.
Its website features blog posts on rhinoplasty and guides on the best vaping liquids and male breast-reduction clinics in South Korea.
The company is currently in liquidation and has not filed accounts since 2022. However, the website contains a contact address in Bali.
Mr Findlay cited it as evidence that the SNP does 'not even know where their money is going' and argued that Scottish Government bodies should not be focused on 'reducing the size of moobs '.
His intervention came after he used his speech to the Scottish Tory conference on Saturday to unveil plans for a taxpayer savings act to rein in wasteful public spending and slash bureaucracy.
The legislation would cut the number of quangos by a quarter, bring business leaders into government to identify savings and cut red tape in the NHS and other bodies.
'Ineffective, bloated state'
The £650 million of savings would be used to deliver income tax cuts worth an average of £444 per worker.
Around 600,000 people are employed in Scotland's public sector, making up 22 per cent of the total workforce, compared to about 17 per cent in the UK as a whole. They are also paid on average £2,400 per year more north of the Border.
Mr Findlay told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show: 'The size of the state under the SNP has grown to an extremely ineffective, bloated state. It costs far too much money.
'The hard-working taxpayers are paying for all that. Just today, I was looking at the list of government agencies and quangos on the Government's official website, and there was a link taking you to an entity that is offering those jobs and male breast-reduction surgery.
'You know, I believe the Scottish Government should be focused on cutting waste, reducing waste – not reducing the size of moobs. The Government do not even know where their money is going. It is obscene.'
The Tories said he was referring to This is Remarkable Ltd, which was included in the Scottish Government's most recent directory of public bodies, published on March 27 this year.
The firm was previously known as Investors in People Scotland before it rebranded in 2017. Liquidators were appointed in December 2022.
'Ridiculous waste of money'
The firm's last set of accounts highlighted a difficult financial situation, with the company's turnover falling from £2.1 million to £1.4 million.
One blog on its website lists the best gynecomastia clinics providing male breast surgery in South Korea this year.
Mr Findlay also criticised £4 million a year being given to Criminal Justice Scotland, which he said published guidance on avoiding the word 'criminal' due to concerns over stigma.
'Some of the things it promotes is policing of language. It tells the public they should not call criminals criminals. This is just a ridiculous waste of money,' he said.
He said 5,500 public sector workers in Scotland were earning over £130,000 a year and John Swinney, First Minister, could not 'put his hand on heart' and say 'every one of these jobs actually delivers for the taxpayer'.
A Scottish government spokesman said: 'This week we will unveil our public service reform strategy, which will focus on driving efficiencies, integration and a shift to prevention.
'This is Remarkable Ltd – previously known as Investors in People Scotland – was an agency that focused on support for business and employee engagement. It has ceased operating and it will be removed from the list of public bodies.'
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