Michael Matheson has admitted he is responsible for failing to follow parliamentary instructions to replace the SIM card in the device. Credit: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
Scotland's health secretary will reimburse the taxpayer £11,000 for roaming costs he incurred by taking his parliamentary iPad on holiday after the bill was revealed by The Telegraph.
Michael Matheson said he did it. agreed with Holyrood authorities to reimburse the public purse for the £10,935.74 expenses he incurred during a week's holiday in Morocco last Christmas.
In a statement, Mr Matheson said he had “thought long and hard” and accepted he was responsible for the charge because he had failed to follow parliamentary instructions to replace the SIM card in the device.
Although Humza Yusuf yesterday insisted he did not have to pay back the money, Mr Matheson said he took issues of his integrity “extremely seriously” and had always strived to be a “diligent” MP.
The Scottish Tories said that he was “belatedly ashamed to pay a bill he had the audacity to expect from the taxpayer.”
Questions have also been asked about why the Scottish Parliament agreed to pay the sum in the first place.
His U-turn comes 48 hours after The Telegraph reported that a bill had been passed to the Scottish Parliament along with allegations of that he refused the request to cover any expenses from his own pocket.
Only Mr Matheson agreed to use his taxpayer-funded spending to fund the £3,000 bill, with Parliament eventually agreeing to fund the balance of £7,935.74 from its own budget.
The deal was agreed after the Falkirk West MSP gave assurances that “these expenses were incurred in connection with parliamentary business and not for personal or public use.”
Failed to follow Holyrood rules
But there was growing concern among senior SNP MPs that the scandal would lead to more voters leaving the party amid a strong public backlash. His annual salary is £118,511.
The pressure on Matheson increased on Thursday and Friday when it emerged he had failed to comply with Holyrood rules on MSPs taking mobile phones and iPads abroad.
Craig Hoy, chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, noted an email sent to MPs in June 2018, which stated that Parliament “only covers roaming costs up to £200 and anything beyond this is the responsibility of will be borne by the individual.”
Mr Hoy also pointed to Holyrood's reimbursement rules, which state that all claims from members must reflect “value for money”. /p>
In a statement, Mr Matheson said: “I have contacted the Scottish Parliament authorities this afternoon to arrange a refund of the full cost of the £10,935.74 incurred for roaming charges on my Parliamentary iPad.”
“While Parliament has agreed to pay most of this amount as legitimate expenses and the rest from my office allowance, I have thought long and hard and agree that the SIM card in this device should have been replaced at an earlier stage.” .
'Arrogance and contempt for the state treasury'
Insisting he had not been forced by party leaders to do a U-turn, he added: “It is my decision to fully reimburse these costs, which I believe in all the circumstances is correct.”
Craig Hoy, chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, said: “His arrogance and contempt for the public purse was evident from his refusal to follow parliamentary instructions and inform IT staff about his trip abroad.”
“This is not the end of the matter. Michael Matheson has many serious questions left unanswered by this scandal.”
Dame Jackie Bailey, deputy leader of Scottish Labor, said: “It is right that Michael Matheson forked out the cash to cover his huge The data bill is nearly
A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: “As previously stated, Mr Matheson has provided written assurance that the costs were within the scope of parliamentary business.
“ Mr Matheson informed Parliament this afternoon that, on reflection, he would bear the cost of the data charges. The money will be returned to the parliamentary budget.”
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