QUESTIONS are being tabled in the Scottish Parliament about claims there is a culture of bullying at Historic Scotland, the body responsible for the country's ancient buildings.
It follows an internal survey in which 53 people reported occasional bullying, five said they were often victimised and two felt they were always bullied.
It was claimed the human resources department gave little or no support to staff who complained.
It was also reported that five of the body's senior officials have left over the last 18 months and that the loss of staff follows criticism of management under chief executive Ruth Parsons.
Labour's culture spokeswoman Patricia Ferguson, who is tabling the questions, said the allegations were "very serious" and she had "real concerns about the management and organisation" of the body.
She said: "As someone who has worked closely with them, I have always valued the hard work and expertise of the staff."
Tory spokeswoman Annabel Goldie has written to Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop saying allegations of "bullying and intimidation" were very serious.
A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said: "We take allegations of bullying seriously and operate a zero tolerance policy."
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