Scottish ministers should be "alarmed" by suggestions that their conversations with foreign ambassadors are regularly relayed back to the UK Government by Scotland Office civil servants, according to a senior SNP MP.
Francesca Osowska, director general at the Scotland Office, told Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee that it is "common practice for Scotland Office civil servants to be in touch with the consular corps in Scotland".
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the Scotland Office should be the "voice and ears of the UK Government in Scotland".
Former Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael is fighting allegations that he broke electoral law by lying about his role in leaking a Scotland Office civil servant's account of comments by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to a French ambassador allegedly voicing support for a Conservative government.
Mr Mundell, who served under Mr Carmichael as a junior minister, repeated his insistence that he "had no part in the leaking of that memo" but would not say whether he saw the memo.
SNP MP Pete Wishart, convener of the committee, said Scottish ministers should find the Scotland Office's regular dialogue with the Scottish consular corps "alarming".
He said: "How common is it for Scotland Office civil servants to contact overseas governments to ask about private conversations between governments and Scottish Government ministers?"
Ms Osowska said: "It is common practice for Scotland Office civil servants to be in touch with the consular corps in Scotland.
"That is one of our roles. They are one of our key stakeholder groups in terms of the UK Government's responsibilities for international affairs.
"I think it is important that the Scotland Office does maintain a dialogue with the consular corps in Scotland, including the former French consul general."
Mr Wishart said: "This is a bit alarming for us, because I think if Scottish ministers were listening to that conversation they would probably be thinking, quite rightly, that if they were having conversations with foreign government representatives, that this was quite likely to be recorded and given back to the Scotland Office."
Ms Osowska said: "The (Cabinet Office) investigation team said that there was no evidence of political motivation or dirty tricks in terms of this particular circumstance."
She added: "I can't comment beyond the Cabinet Office statement because that was a leaked document that obviously breaches all sorts of propriety and integrity issues.
"I will not comment further because to do so gives further speculation in terms of the circumstances of the leak, and the Cabinet Office report and statement I think closes the issue."
Mr Mundell said: "I am Scotland's voice in Whitehall and our job is to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard in decisions that are made in Whitehall in the government.
"We are also the voice and ears of the UK Government in Scotland, because Scotland has two governments and it's wholly appropriate that the views of both governments are heard but also that we engage widely in relation to the activities of the UK Government in Scotland."
Mr Wishart said: "Did you know that it was an ongoing feature that people would report back to you about conversations between the First Minister and the French ambassador?"
Mr Mundell said: "The Inquiry Report set out that in terms of the actions of the civil servants involved there was no impropriety on their part."
He added: "I had no part in the leaking of that memo."
Mr Wishart said: "We know you had nothing to do with the making of the leak and that the inquiry has been conducted and concluded, but did you see the memo?"
Mr Mundell said: "All the relevant information in relation to the leak is contained in the Cabinet Office report."
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