Jenny Gilruth defended the Scottish Government’s response to the Princes Street fire during a visit to the scene of the blaze in Edinburgh.
Critics have accused ministers of turning a blind eye to the fire and the subsequent disruption to Edinburgh's tram network, which has been unable to serve the north and east of the city since July 9.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Scottish Government announced that £5m would be allocated to the local authority to help them deal with the impact of the fire on transport and businesses.
Speaking to reporters following crunch talks with City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher, the Deputy First Minister said: “This has been a constant programme of engagement between my officials and between Edinburgh Council officials in relation to the support they wanted.
"And they were very specific about the support they wanted for local businesses and for making sure that building was kept safe."
However, the government did not comment publicly on the fire until three weeks after the fire, when The Herald asked if ministers would commit to creating an emergency funding package for Edinburgh.
A £10m pot was allocated to Glasgow City Council within a week of the Union Street fire in March.
By contrast, on July 28, a full nineteen days after the blaze, a spokesperson told The Herald that the government was exploring “how we can best offer support to businesses affected following the fire on Princes Street”.
Later that week, it was announced that Ms Gilruth would hold meetings with Ms Meagher and other council officials.
Pressed by The Herald about the negative public perception created by the government's silence, the Deputy First Minister said: "I hear the point. I think ultimately this is a matter for the council to lead on. So the government is working with the council at the behest of a request which came from the council.
"So we would expect the council as a relevant local authority to lead on this. I reflect on your points in relation to communication, but it is the case that behind the scenes we have been engaged throughout."
A number of MSPs had spoken out urging the Scottish Government to provide financial support for the city, which is set to welcome millions of people to the festivals this month despite a limited transport system.
“The Scottish Government was more than happy to find millions of pounds in the wake of the Glasgow fire. It should be considering similar action for Edinburgh,” Tory MSP Miles Briggs said last week.
“If we go into the Festival with this situation still ongoing, it will be a complete embarrassment for the city in front of the eyes of the world.”
Scottish Green MSP for Edinburgh Central Lorna Slater added: “Ministers must work urgently with the council and affected businesses and commit to a fair recovery package for Edinburgh.”
Following Ms Gilruth's visit, Councillor Meagher said she was "disappointed" by the disparity in the funding package and suggested the government had acted more decisively in Glasgow because it has more SNP voters.
She told reporters: "I'm disappointed that Glasgow seems to be more highly valued in a sense than we are. But we are where we are. I'm grateful that we've got some money and we'll use it to serve the city of Edinburgh."
Councillor Meagher also criticised First Minister John Swinney for not attending the meeting and sending Ms Gilruth instead.
"I'm extremely disappointed that the First Minister chose not to respond," she said, referring to a letter her office sent to Mr Swinney a week after the fire.
"You know, Edinburgh is the capital city of this country. Edinburgh, equally importantly, is a driver of the Scottish economy.
"And if we don't get the attention that we deserve from the first minister of this country, I think that's shameful."
Read more:
- SNP calls for council emergency summit as Deputy FM to visit Princes Street fire site
- 'Painstaking' work being carried out to secure fire-hit building on Princes Street
- Edinburgh Fringe chiefs 'increasingly concerned' about Princes Street closure
Investigations into the cause of the fire continue.
The Herald revealed that a firm renting retail space on the ground floor of 109-112 Princes Street, which was set to be redeveloped as a Zedwell hotel, had failed to pay legally required non-domestic rates.
The London-based micro-company had been preceded in its lease by two other small companies, also based in the UK capital, both of whom appear not to have paid non-domestic rates or other taxes.
Furthermore, building warrants had not been secured for the refitting of the former Debenhams department store into three individual shopfronts.
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