Alex Salmond announced yesterday that he was bringing in former Holyrood presiding officers Lord Steel and George Reid to act as arbiters on ministers' conduct.

They will form a new panel to advise Scottish Government ministers on their conduct, said the First Minister, who also announced a series of other reforms to the ministerial code in parliament.

But his opponents protested that under his new system the First Minister would remain gatekeeper for complaints, instead of these being passed to someone independent.

Mr Salmond insisted that the principle of a First Minister answerable to parliament and capable of being voted down in a confidence vote was the appropriate way of holding him to account.

Tory leader Annabel Goldie said: "While they may bring the wisdom of Solomon, the judgment remains that of Salmond. He is still the gamekeeper."

Mr Salmond told MSPs both he and Gordon Brown at Westminster are "both wrestling with the notion" that guardians of public accountability must always be the Prime Minister or First Minister.

"The issue of how advice can be truly independent - especially when the adviser has been appointed by a Prime Minister or First Minister - has proved a ticklish problem to solve," he said.

But Mr Salmond said he had come up with a solution which he believed would provide "some satisfaction," saying: "For the first time there will a panel of past Presiding Officers to guide the First Minister on the application of the code. I am delighted to announce Lord Steel and George Reid have agreed to serve as members of that panel of independent advisers.

"Their integrity is beyond reproach and their knowledge of ministerial and parliamentary procedures is unrivalled."

Permanent secretary John Elvidge, Scotland's most senior civil servant, will play a "more authoritative" role in determining the action that ministers should follow.

It will also provide clearer guidance to ministers on representing the interests of constituents and handling sensitive matters such as planning applications, and sets out how ministers will work more openly with parliament with the support of liaison officers.

Clear guidance on the handling of ministerial gifts will be part of the reforms, with a quarterly list of gifts over the value of £140 to be published. Registration will now also apply to hospitality for the first time.