Parliament suspends ex-minister Michael Matheson who claimed £11,000 back on iPad roaming bill

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Scotland’s former health minister is suspended from Parliament for 27 sitting days after racking up an £11,000 roaming bill for his work iPad while on holiday in Morocco.

The convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Standards Committee used his casting vote to recommend that former minister Michael Matheson be banned from Holyrood for 27 days.

Martin Whitfield, the chairman of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, backed a proposal by Conservative MP Annie Wells to suspend Mr Matheson for almost a month after he ran up a data roaming bill of almost £11,000 for his parliamentary iPad while on a family holiday in Morocco.

He later revealed that the costs were incurred because his teenage sons were using the device as a Wi-Fi hotspot to watch football.

Initially, Matheson had tried to cover the bill through a combination of office costs and expenses. However, when the matter became public, he said he would pay for it himself.

SNP committee members Jackie Dunbar and Alasdair Allan voted against the sanction.

Mr Matheson will also lose his salary for 54 days if the recommendations are approved by MSPs in a vote.

Mr Whitfield said: “Annie Wells has put forward a proposal for a 27-day sitting period. (Tory MSP) Oliver Mundell expressed his support for that proposal.

“Jackie Dunbar and Alasdair Allan disagreed with this proposal. I have not expressed my personal opinion in favor of this option, but in my role as Chair I supported the proposal to exclude a 27-day period, recognizing that otherwise the Committee would not have been in a position to make a recommendation.

“A majority of the committee therefore supported a recommendation for exclusion for a period of 27 meeting days.”

He said the sanction would have been worse had it not been for “extenuating circumstances, including the impact on the member and his family”.

Mr Allan said he thought the 27-day sentence was “extremely high” compared to previous cases, but he recognized the need for a sentence.

Ms Dunbar said she agreed with him.

Mr Mundell said Parliament’s reputation had been “significantly damaged” and he would have favored a longer suspension – but admitted this would require a majority opinion.

“Many would have faced the very real risk of losing their job in the same circumstances in the real world,” he said.

During the committee hearing on Thursday, Mr Whitfield said the bill of £10,941.74 had been paid in full.

“Mr Matheson has explained that since learning of the circumstances in which the data was used, he has been motivated to protect his family,” the chairman added.

“Mr Matheson has described the significant impact this has had on his family.

“The Committee recognises the impact of the significant media and other intrusions that have taken place on Mr Matheson and his family.

“However, the obligations that all members have under the Code, the Expenses Scheme and the relevant SPCB policies are of paramount importance in maintaining the integrity of the Scheme and the framework of ethical standards arising from the Nolan Principles that underlie the exercise of parliamentary duties.”

“Any failure to fulfil these obligations will have a negative impact on the reputation of the expenses system, Members of Parliament and Parliament as a whole.”