MORE than £3,000 a month is being spent on free shortbread, biscuits and danish pastries by the Scottish Government.

Government ministers spent more than £6,000 in just two months on confectionery - including home-baked scones and croissants, for guests and staff at its offices.

A spokeswomen for the government said hospitality spend on sweet treats only accounted for a "small proportion" of events and meetings that take place.

But campaigners today demanded ministers rein in their sugar intake that comes at the taxpayers' expense.

The Scottish Government was asked through freedom of information to supply three years worth of confectionery costs for meetings and events, but following several months of appeals claimed only to be able to provide two months of statistics due to cost issues in retrieving the information.

The figures, for August and September last year, revealed that the Victoria Quay offices in Edinburgh spent more than £2,000 on sweet treats in just two months, while Government headquarters at St Andrews House, was the second biggest spender at around £1,400 for the same period.

The government's health department spent more than £1,500 in two months on thousands of biscuits at 54p each, croissants priced at £1.56 and 81p pieces of shortbread for events and meetings.

The lowest spending offices were the Marine Lab, that spent just £46.99 on 69 biscuits and seven home-baked scones.

Scottish Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone, criticised the spending.

He said: "The public will be surprised the Scottish Government has seen fit to spend this much on shortbread.

"We know Alex Salmond liked to boast about handing out Tunnock's teacakes at Bute House, but perhaps taxpayers would be less amused if they could see the final bill.

"It's also baffling that the SNP went to such great lengths to try and keep this information secret."

Eben Wilson, director of TaxpayerScotland, was also left unimpressed, saying: "Maybe the Scottish Government should look again at its departmental spending and put a circular around to all staff asking them to re-consider their sugar intake taken in at taxpayer expense.

"Tightening down on this sort of discretionary spending would help support front line services - and presumably help reduce frontal expansion."

A former senior civil servant, who asked not to be named, added: "When I started working 40 years ago you had to pass a hat round if wanted to buy biscuits. As a taxpayer I'm scandalised, Young civil servants these days are totally spoiled."

But a Scottish Government spokeswoman defended the spending.

She said: "Catering provision is only permitted for events or meetings with external visitors. As these figures indicate, hospitality spend applies to only a small proportion of the events and meetings that take place."