A HOLYROOD committee looking into the handling of harassment complaints against former first minister Alex Salmond is “frustrated and disappointed” at the limited evidence provided by the Scottish government.

The committee on the Scottish government handling of harassment complaints was given documents last week, but parts were redacted on the grounds that they concerned legal advice and were therefore legally privileged.

Committee convener Linda Fabiani said that detailed descriptions of the documents being withheld were urgently needed.

The evidence seen by the committee describes the process leading up to the £512,250 payout that Mr Salmond received after his successful legal challenge to the Scottish government.

In a letter to Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, Ms Fabiani said that the committee was particularly concerned by “the limited information the Scottish government has offered to justify the grounds for applying legal professional privilege.”

The convener said that her colleagues felt “frustration and disappointment at the very limited amount of information the Scottish government has chosen to disclose to the committee in relation to the judicial review.”

She said that the Scottish government could have chosen to waive its right to legal privilege over the advice it received.

The Holyrood committee is due to meet next Tuesday to determine its next steps.

Ms Fabiani said that it would “not hesitate to explore all options available to it in order to receive the documents it requires.”

Former SNP leader Mr Salmond took the Scottish government to court over the way it dealt with the allegations, and the Court of Session ruled in January 2019 that its actions had been “unlawful.”

In March this year, he was cleared of 13 sexual offences by a jury following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.