The row over Health Secretary Neil Gray’s use of a ministerial car continues to resonate on our pages.

Last week our columnist Andy Maciver wrote how tired he was of witch hunts against Holyrood politicians over relatively minor offences.

👉 Read his article here

That sparked a rebuke yesterday from one of our readers, who argued that “the Holyrood system is demonstrably rotten”.

👉 Read that letter here

Today a correspondent leaps to the defence of the Scottish Parliament.

Catriona C Clark of Falkirk writes:

"Jill Stephenson decries the Holyrood system but concentrates on individual MSPs. She writes that the judge and jury in Michael Matheson's case was John Swinney, but in fact his punishment was decided by the all-party Holyrood Standards Committee on the casting vote of the chair.

Ms Stephenson criticises but offers no alternatives. Holyrood has limited powers, is not allowed to borrow and has little input to decisions made at Westminster which have consequences here. A clear example of this is immigration. With an ageing population Scotland needs to attract migrants, yet immigration powers are exclusively in the hands of Westminster, as is employment law.

Scotland’s parliament has achieved much with the devolved powers we have; look at Social Security Scotland, which had introduced seven new benefits only available here.

With the new Labour Government's recent damaging announcements impacting on pensioners and welfare claimants, thank goodness we have our Scottish Parliament. Holyrood has demonstrated time and time again our differing priorities by stepping in and mitigating many of Westminster's damaging policies. Ms Stephenson may want to take on board the massive difference it is making in tackling child poverty, lifting 325,000 children out of poverty with the Scottish Child Payment, available nowhere else in the UK.

We need our parliament, because regardless of the make-up of Scotland’s MPs we are vastly outnumbered in Westminster. In the interest of Scotland and her people, Holyrood must be afforded more devolved powers as promised in the "Vow" of 2014. A good start in light of announcements by this new Labour Government would be devolving full welfare powers."