Nicola Sturgeon has said she will consider a formal apology for victims of Scotland’s so-called “tinker experiment”.

The first minister was responding to questions surrounding the programme, which gypsy travellers have condemned as “cultural genocide”.

While welcoming the news, campaigners have criticised the time it has taken – stating that it is “morally indefensible” for the Scottish government to have taken 12 years to engage with those affected.

The “tinker experiment” lasted from 1940 until 1980 and was a programme designed to integrate gypsy travellers into mainstream society. It was supported by the UK government and Scottish local authorities.

Travellers were taken from their family homes and provided with primitive and cramped housing at a number of sites around Scotland. In many cases, the conditions were unsuitable and family groups had to be split up.

Campaigners for gypsy travellers argue that victims of the experiment deserve a formal apology from the Scottish government – similar to those granted to other groups who suffered injustice in the pre-devolution era, such as casualties of the contaminated blood scandal and gay men convicted of sexual offences deemed illegal at the time.

Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross has agreed to meet members of the gypsy traveller community next week, having responded to their invitation.

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Ms Sturgeon had not responded to a similar invitation before being asked by Sky News why not. She replied: “I will certainly look at that. I’m not aware of them asking me for a meeting that hasn’t been granted.”

When told the group had emailed her on six separate occasions, she said: “I get lots of emails, so I’m not aware of that but I have no objections to meeting the gypsy traveller community.

“On the contrary, my government – led by Christina McKelvie, one of my ministers – has done a lot of work to recognise the issues that they are often confronted with.”

Asked about families being separated and the lack of a formal apology, the first minister said: “We’ll consider that. We considered that in terms of gay men, we consider that in other contexts. If there is a request for that, it’s right and proper that it’s done with the due and proper consideration.

“It’s probably appropriate that Douglas Ross meets with the gypsy traveller community given some of the outrageous comments he has made in the past about them.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives said: “The first minister is clearly trying to deflect from the fact she hasn’t bothered to respond to this invitation.”

Kevin McKay, a campaigner for travellers’ rights, welcomed developments but said they had taken too long. He said: “It is morally indefensible that after 12 years attempting to fully engage with the Scottish government to obtain a legacy apology for the victims of the tinker experiments, the victims remain no further forward despite providing irrefutable evidence of state instigation of the attempted genocide of the tinker experiment.

“It is mystifying that the Scottish government state that they are taking the views of unaffected members of the Scottish gypsy traveller community whilst failing to embed the views of the victims.

“This sends an unequivocal message that the horrific human rights abuses of the tinker experiment victims continue to go unheeded and do not fit with the current political agenda.”

“While other historically vilified and unfairly treated groups correctly receive legacy apologies and appropriate redress, the victims of the tinker experiment remain in a state of limbo.”

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