Health Secretary Neil Gray is facing further questions over his taxpayer-funded limo rides to football matches at Hampden.

The minister, whose portfolio includes sport, has been under fire this week after it emerged his government car had chauffeured him to six football games, four of which were played by Aberdeen, the team he supports.

In a statement to Holyrood on Thursday, the SNP politician insisted he had been engaged in government business but admitted he had "given the impression of acting more as a fan and less as a minister".

He said he should have gone to a “wider range” of football matches.

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Over the weekend, the Sunday Post reported that he was approached at a garden party in 2022 by representatives of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) which then arranged VIP trips to watch the Dons at Hampden.

However, the paper reports that Mr Gray registered the trips as ministerial discussions with the Scottish Football Association (SFA).

Earlier this year, the minister said he would consider lifting the alcohol ban, but he was later overruled by the First Minister.

Meanwhile, Sir Alistair Graham, chair of the committee on standards in public life at Westminster from 2004 to 2007, said Mr Gray’s actions would “undermine public confidence in whether politicians are putting the public interest before the private interest.”

He told the Sunday Post: “That is clearly the case here, where the use of an official car was plainly to satisfy the private interest rather than meeting the needs of the public."

He added that Mr Gray remaining in his role “will add to the cynicism already felt by much of the public at a time when trust is at an extremely low ebb”, adding: “If there has been a consistent track record of failure to abide by the ministerial code at Holyrood, then it should be for the Scottish Parliament to take action against Neil Gray. He should not be allowed to get away with it.”

Speaking to BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, the SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said Mr Gray’s use of a ministerial car to attend the games was “not a scandal”.

“I think when it comes to how ministers partake in their duties, we need to be serious about the fact that our sports minister going to sporting events is not a scandal.

“He’s doing his job and he’s doing his job to the best of his ability.

“What tends to happen in politics is you tend to create relationships, have discussions with people and that could only happen by being in those places at certain times.

“I would certainly encourage all of our ministers to get out with the people that they represent, the bodies who of course play a huge role within Scottish society.”

He added: “Neil is a huge sports fan, I think it’s right that he, as sports minister, goes to sporting matches, I’m struggling to see what the scandal is.”

Mr Flynn, who supports Dundee United, joked that the real scandal was that the Health Secretary went "to far too many Aberdeen games.”

Later, speaking on the same programme, Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the issue was a scandal.

“Their eyes are off the ball, no pun intended,” she said.

“You need to think about what your priorities are.

“When social care is in crisis, why are you going to football games?”

Put to her that Mr Gray’s portfolio also covers sport, Ms Baillie responded: “But (he is) also the health and social care minister, where we have one in six people on waiting lists in Scotland, where 9,000 people are waiting for an assessment, these should be priorities.”

Scottish Tory finance spokesman Craig Hoy said his party had made “the very reasonable ask” of the Scottish Government for minutes of the meetings held at the matches to be published.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “There is no requirement on ministers to record official government events in the Scottish Parliament Register of Interests.

“Where ministers attend events in an official, government capacity these are recorded as official business and published on the Scottish Government website.

“All engagements referred to by Mr Gray in his statement to Parliament this week were official government business.”