THE Scottish Government has taken eight years to provide guidance to cut the occasions Union flag can be flown from public buildings.
The published new guidance for 2018 shows for the first time that the Union flag should only be flown on one day a year - a policy that the Scottish Government says has been in place for eight years.
The Scottish Government has declined to say how it has taken so long.
READ MORE: Scotland Office refuses to back down over flag row
A row erupted as the changes were interpreted by some news outlets as something decreed by the First Minister.
Ms Sturgeon denied claims she was behind the decision, which the Scottish Government says was actually made in 2010 under Alex Salmond – and made the unusual move of demanding an apology from three newspapers over the stories.
Mr Salmond said he made the change in consultation with the Queen.
The flag guidelines apply to the Scottish Government its departments and its miriad of related agencies, which include Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
READ MORE: Scotland Office refuses to back down over flag row
But the official Scottish Government guidance has never stipulated the 'Salmond-induced curb' on the Union flag until this year.
Until 2018 the guidance said the UK flag could happily flown for the anniversary of the Queen's Accession, her Coronation Day and her wedding day and the birthdays of the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, the Countess of Strathearn, the Countess of Wessex, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Earl of Strathearn, Duchess of Rothesay and the Duke of Rothesay.
But the new guidance which says is valid from January 2018 cuts the flying of the Union Flag to just Remembrance Sunday.
READ MORE: Scotland Office refuses to back down over flag row
The Scottish Daily Mail, one of three newspapers to splash the story on their front page, apologised to Ms Sturgeon, for saying that she was actually behind the move.
The paper stated that it was “happy to clarify that the decision to change the policy on flag flying was taken and implemented by former First Minister Alex Salmond in 2010”.
Scotland’s First Minister welcomed the retraction and called the story “ridiculous” and “utterly false”.
Highlighting the apology on Twitter, Ms Sturgeon wrote: “Rigorous scrutiny of politicians by a free media is fundamental to our democracy. But when newspapers publish blatant untruths they do a disservice, not just to those they defame, but to the integrity of their trade.
"That’s why it’s important to challenge falsehoods.”
The Scottish Government was asked why it has taken eight years to update guidance to go in line with the 2010 policy, but repeatedly got no response to the question.
A spokesman repeated its position: "As has been made very clear, there has been no change to flag-flying practice since 2010 - and the guidance has merely been updated to reflect that longstanding position."
"The operational guidance on applying the policy was updated in December 2017. This was not a change on the policy."
As well as the Scottish Daily Mail, the Scottish Government has written letters of complaint to the Scottish Daily Express and Daily Telegraph.
It threatened to take the case to the Independent Press Standards Organisation, the industry regulator, if the issue was not resolved.
READ MORE: Scotland Office refuses to back down over flag row
Ms Sturgeon said in the wake of the row that "the civil service recently decided to update the published guidance", but said this was an "administrative step" to "ensure that it accurately reflected the long-standing practice".
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