Matheson data bill fiasco: Tories demand end to 'murky affair'

In a statement, released following a meeting in December, the SPCB said their provisional findings would “likely be provided to the Member in January 2024".

However, neither Holyrood nor Mr Matheson would confirm if this had happened.

The Tories said it was “high time we got a resolution to this matter".

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The SPCB had pledged to 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 was also assessing 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".

Minutes from December’s meeting 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".

They 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".

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.

When asked for an update, a Scottish Parliament spokesperson told The Herald on Sunday: “The SPCB previously said its initial statement of provisional findings would likely be provided to the Member in January 2024.

“Work continues apace and the SPCB will provide an update once it is appropriate to do so.

“In the interest of fairness to all, the SPCB has made clear it will not provide a running commentary on the investigation.

“The SPCB remains committed to openness and transparency and will release all material it can, when it can, in line with its legal obligations."

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: “The public were assured that this report would be given to Michael Matheson in January. Now that we’ve reached that point, with the discredited health secretary still in his job, it’s high time we got a resolution to this matter.

“Hard-working Scots will rightly expect answers about why this claim on taxpayers’ money was ever made. It’s about time they were given them and for this murky affair to come to an end.”

READ MORE: Matheson refuses to quit over £11k data scandal

In his statement to MSPs last year, 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.

Earlier this week, it emerged that the Scottish Government were forced to pay compensation to a Glasgow GP’s practice after the scandal forced Mr Matheson to pull out of a visit.

Correspondence obtained the Scottish Daily Express through FOI revealed the Whitevale Medical Practice telling Mr Matheson’s office that they “were very disappointed that the planned minister's visit was cancelled at very short notice.”

They added: "The practice went to considerable organisational effort to accommodate the visitation request and we employed a locum which would allow {redacted} to have time to converse with the minister. The current locum cost is £300 per half day. We feel the way we have been treated was discourteous and disrespectful and shows a lack of understanding of the pressures on primary care."

Mr Matheson did write to Whitevale to apologise for the "last minute cancellation" and agreed to "reimburse" the clinic "given the circumstances involved were of our own making." An official adds that "it is an unusual circumstance and we are not setting precedent."

Mr Matheson did not respond to requests for a comment.