The Scottish Parliament has announced an unprecedented investigation into the SNP Health Secretary after The Telegraph revealed he had hiked £11,000 in internet roaming charges while on holiday and then billed the taxpayer.
Holyrood's ruling body (SPCB) will investigate whether Michael Matheson breached the MSP code of conduct by paying 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 giving Holyrood written assurances that the full amount had been raised for constituency business.
The code of conduct states: "No improper use may be made of any payment or allowance to members for public purposes."
It is the first study of its kind by the body corporate since decentralization began in 1999.
If the SPCB concludes that the agreement has been breached, it can refer the matter to Holyrood's standards committee, which has the power to recommend that Parliament "revoke all rights and privileges of the Member".
Matheson promised to "cooperate fully" with the investigation, but Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross accused him of "trying to defraud the taxpayer of £11,000".
Dame Jackie Baillie, deputy leader of the Scottish Labor Party, said the Health Secretary should resign because 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, said only that the Scottish Government "means" this.
Holyrood authorities presented Mr Matheson with an overview of the bill on February 7, which showed that the bill increased dramatically on the days of football matches. Opposition MSPs immediately made the link when it was made public last week.
But Mr Matheson told Parliament he had used the iPad exclusively for constituency issues and that it allowed him to use his taxpayer-funded expenditure to fund £3,000 of the bill. Holyrood funded the balance of £7,935.74 from its own budget.
The story continues
He only agreed to pay back the money from his own pocket after the Telegraph published the bill a fortnight ago. His annual salary is £118,511.
In a statement to Parliament last week, he claimed he had discovered his sons had been using the device to watch football on November 9, when he was informed by his wife.
However, he told the media on November 13 that no one else had used the device and that there was no personal use. Mr Matheson did not explain how he thought he introduced the constituency bill.
The roaming bill on January 2, the day of the Old Firm match between Rangers and Celtic, was £7,345.69, but this was a public holiday.
The SPCB consists of one MSP from each of the SNP, Tories, Labor and the Greens. It is usually run by Alison Johnstone, the chair of Holyrood, but she is away on health leave.
Instead, the four other members will take turns leading the group during the investigation. In a statement after a meeting on Thursday morning, a parliament spokesperson said the SPCB has a "vital interest in the integrity" of the MSP expenses scheme.
Investigation to determine whether roaming charges were 'appropriate'
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 business organization will therefore undertake an investigation in accordance 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 accurate and met the requirements of the scheme and whether the funds were used for parliamentary purposes in accordance with all SPCB policies.
"The SPCB will endeavor to conclude its investigation quickly and its findings will be published."
If the body corporate determines that Mr Matheson has used his expenses inappropriately, it can refer the matter to the standards committee. A wide range of sanctions are available, including banning Mr Matheson from Holyrood or claiming expenses.
Mr Ross welcomed the investigation but warned the health minister and Humza Yousaf, the prime minister, "cannot hide behind it" to avoid 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 had no idea how bill was introduced.
"If he had no idea how that bill was passed, why on earth was he demanding taxpayer money for it? Michael Matheson is fooling the public."
Dame Jackie said: "We cannot allow the Scottish people to be let down 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 allow a new Health Secretary to focus on the crisis in our NHS."
Speaking to journalists after the Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Matheson said: "I welcome the business body's decision, which follows my letter to them last week asking them to investigate this matter.
"I will of course co-operate fully with their investigation and it would not be appropriate for me to comment further."
Asked why Mr Matheson was still in a job, Mr Yousaf told MSPs: "Michael Matheson accepts and admits in this room that he made mistakes in the handling.
"He did what he did to protect his teenage boys. Did he make mistakes? Absolute. Did he admit that? Absolute. Did he agree to refund the full amount? Absolutely." The Prime Minister's official spokesman said he would also cooperate.
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