Scottish Parliament announces probe into SNP Health Secretary after £11k roaming charge bill
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The Scottish Parliament has announced an unprecedented investigation into the SNP’s Health Secretary after The Telegraph disclosed he ran up £11,000 of internet roaming charges on holiday then billed the taxpayer.
Holyrood’s ruling corporate body (SPCB) is to examine whether Michael Matheson broke the MSP code of conduct by running up the extraordinary £10,935.74 bill during a family holiday to Morocco last Christmas.
He has blamed his teenage sons for using his parliamentary iPad as an internet hotspot to watch football, despite previously providing written assurances to Holyrood that the entire amount was incurred for constituency business.
The code of conduct states that: “No improper use should be made of any payment or allowance made to members for public purposes.”
It is the first investigation of its kind by the corporate body since devolution started in 1999.
If the SPCB concludes it has been broken, it could refer the matter to Holyrood’s standards committee, which has the power to recommend to Parliament “that any of the member’s rights and privileges be withdrawn”.
Mr Matheson pledged to “fully cooperate” with the investigation but Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, accused him of trying “to dupe the taxpayer out of £11,000”.
Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, said that the Health Secretary must resign as he was “too busy fighting for his job” to oversee the NHS “on the brink of a deadly winter crisis”.
Asked whether SNP ministers always tell the truth to the public, Shona Robison, the Deputy First Minister, would only say the Scottish Government “aims” to do so.
Holyrood’s authorities handed Mr Matheson a breakdown of the bill on Feb 7 showing the bill surged on the days of football fixtures. Opposition MSPs immediately made the link when it was made public last week.
But Mr Matheson told Parliament he had used the iPad solely for constituency matters and it allowed him to use his taxpayer-funded expenses to fund £3,000 of the bill. Holyrood funded the £7,935.74 balance from its own budget.
He only agreed to pay back the money from his own pocket after the Telegraph disclosed the bill a fortnight ago. His annual salary is £118,511.
In a statement to Parliament last week, he claimed he had found out his sons had used the device to watch football on Nov 9 when he was informed by his wife.
However, he told the media on Nov 13 that nobody else had used the device and there was no personal use. Mr Matheson has not explained how he thought he had run up the bill on constituency business.
The roaming charges bill on Jan 2, the day of the Old Firm match between Rangers and Celtic, were £7,345.69 but this was a public holiday.
The SPCB comprises an MSP from each of the SNP, Tories, Labour and the Greens. It is usually run by Alison Johnstone, Holyrood’s presiding officer, but she is absent on health leave.
Instead the four other members will take turns to lead the group during the investigation. In a statement issued following a meeting on Thursday morning, a parliament spokesman said the SPCB has a “vital interest in the integrity” of the MSP expenses scheme.
Investigation to consider if roaming charges were ‘proper’
In particular, he cited “the principle that SPCB funded resources are used for parliamentary purposes and that there is public confidence in these matters”.
“The corporate body will therefore undertake an investigation in line with its duties under the MSP code of conduct,” he said.
“The investigation will consider whether the claims for £11,000 of public money, incurred through data roaming charges, were proper and met the requirements of the scheme and whether resources were used for parliamentary purposes in accordance with all SPCB policies.
“The SPCB will seek to conclude its investigation promptly and its findings in fact, will be published.”
If the corporate body finds Mr Matheson improperly used his expenses, it could refer the matter to the standards committee. A wide range of sanctions are available including banning Mr Matheson from Holyrood or from claiming expenses.
Mr Ross welcomed the investigation but warned the Health Secretary and Humza Yousaf, the First Minister, “can’t hide behind it” to avoid providing public answers about the scandal.
The Scottish Tory leader said: “Michael Matheson gave Parliament written assurances that this £11,000 bill was the result of constituency work and that alone. But his story has changed, and he now wants us to believe he was clueless about how that bill happened.
“If he had no idea how that bill was run up, why on earth did he claim taxpayers’ money for it? Michael Matheson is taking the public for fools.”
Dame Jackie said: “We cannot have the people of Scotland failed by a distracted Health Secretary who is more interested in protecting his ministerial salary than protecting our NHS.
“It is clear that Michael Matheson must go and allow a new Health Secretary to focus on the crisis in our NHS.”
Speaking to journalists after First Minister’s Questions, Mr Matheson said: “I welcome the decision by the corporate body, which follows on my writing to them last week asking them to investigate this matter.
“Of course I’ll fully co-operate with their investigation and it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment further.”
Asked why Mr Matheson was still in a job, Mr Yousaf told MSPs: “Michael Matheson accepts and admitted to this chamber that he made mistakes in the handling.
“He did what he did to protect his teenage boys. Did he make mistakes? Absolutely. Has he admitted that? Absolutely. Has he agreed to pay back the full amount? Absolutely.” The First Minister’s official spokesman said he would also co-operate.
