Holyrood’s probe into Michael Matheson’s £11,000 data roaming bill will not report its initial findings until January.

The Tories said it was "disappointing" that the findings of the investigation would "not be made public until well into the new year."

Labour said Humza Yousaf should not wait for the conclusions, and "act now."

The beleaguered Health Secretary referred himself to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) last month when he blamed his teenage sons for the eye-watering expense claim.

READ MORE: Calls for Michael Matheson to be sacked 'for the good of our NHS'

Minutes of a meeting of the SPCB —held last Thursday, but only published today —  revealed that the cross-party group will investigate whether “an improper claim was made by the Member in respect of the charges (or any part of them) within the terms of the Reimbursement of Members’ Expenses Scheme.”

This states that all claims must be made in “good faith” and that MSPs are only entitled to the “reimbursement of expenses which have been incurred only for the purpose of carrying out parliamentary duties.”

They also make clear that an MSP should be “open and transparent as respects expenses claimed under the Scheme.”

The SPCB will also assess if Mr Matheson “failed to abide by the policies adopted by the SPCB as required by Section 7.3 of the Code of Conduct for MSPs, including the policy on MSPs: use of parliamentary resources.”

The minutes show that the members of the SPCB — Maggie Chapman from the Greens, Tory Jackson Carlaw, Labour’s Claire Baker and the SNP’s Christine Grahame — were keen to progress the investigation “expeditiously.”

The Herald:

Initially, the inquiry will be conducted in writing, with Mr Matheson given two weeks to provide his “substantive statement of evidence.”

The SPCB also agreed that “in line with fair and due process, the Member would also be provided with a copy of a draft statement of provisional findings, together with copies of any material relied upon in making those findings.”

Mr Matheson “would then have an opportunity to make further representations to be considered by the SPCB before finalising its findings and concluding the investigation.”

READ MORE: Michael Matheson on 'last life' as Humza Yousaf's patience wears thin

The expectation was that a period of up to two weeks would again be necessary in the investigation’s timeline for Mr Matheson to respond.

The statement says the body’s provisional findings would “likely be provided to the Member in January 2024, but the SPCB agreed that work should continue at pace.”

The inquiry will not look into questions about Mr Matheson’s honesty.

In his statement to MSPs last month, the minister claimed he had only learned about his boys’ use of the data associated with his parliamentary iPad on Thursday 9 November, following days of media scrutiny over the staggering expenses claim.

However, on Monday 13 November, when asked directly if there was "any personal use" of the device during the family holiday, he told reporters: "No”.

When asked if anyone else could have used the device, he, again, said, "No".

Mr Matheson had initially agreed to pay £3,000 of the bill from his office expenses, with parliament agreeing to pay the rest.

But after learning that his sons were responsible for the bill, he said the family would pay the cost in full.

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: “It’s disappointing that the parliament’s report into the Matheson scandal will not be made public until well into the new year – given how narrow the investigation’s remit is and the facts that are already known.

“The discredited Health Secretary will be given two weeks to respond to the initial findings before it’s made public, so we can only hope that the corporate body is robust in the event of any attempts by Michael Matheson to edit the report.

“Mr Matheson should have been dismissed weeks ago for his lies and cover-up. But we now face the prospect of him clinging on to his post into February at least – leaving our NHS saddled with a distracted health secretary during the winter crisis the SNP has created.”

Labour's deputy, Dame Jackie Baillie said: “The Scottish Parliament’s investigation into this scandal will take until next year, but Humza Yousaf can act now.

“It is outrageous that our NHS is heading into one of the most difficult winters of its history with a dishonest and distracted Health Secretary.

“Michael Matheson has been caught red-handed lying to the public, he must go now.”