Jibe earns lawyer rebuke

A SENIOR lawyer to the Holyrood inquiry has been disciplined by the Faculty of Advocates over a remark about a civil servant involved in the project.

John Campbell, QC, was found to have breached the faculty's code of conduct after giving a speech in 2004 which referred to Barbara Doig, the Holyrood project sponsor, as a "librarian".

Mrs Doig lodged a formal complaint with the faculty about what she believed to be disparaging remarks about her. Yesterday, the faculty confirmed it had ordered Mr Campbell not to make any more comments on the case.

Mr Campbell led questioning during 2003-4's seven-month inquiry into the Holyrood fiasco.

The faculty's decision emerged a day after the Presiding Officer, George Reid, revealed the final pricetag for the Scottish Parliament had fallen by 16.1 million.