Taxis, hotels... and a £1 bowl
HE is a former international banker with a salary of more than £58,000 who also earns up to £35,000 a year from four properties he owns.
But according to expenses figures, SNP treasurer Colin Beattie still took the time to claim back £1 from taxpayers for a bowl from Bargain Buys.
Other astonishing MSP expenses included 12 claims of 60p from Labour’s Claudia Beamish for cycling three miles between her Edinburgh home and Holyrood. Extraordinarily, the system allows members to claim 20p a mile for using a push bike.
At the other end of the scale, Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead bought a topof-the-range 27-inch computer for £1,289 and then billed the taxpayer £12.99 for a manual to learn how to use it.
Overall, the total expenses bill for MSPs in 2014-15 was just under £12.5million – or £34,000 every day – down 0.2 per cent on the previous year. The Scottish Daily Mail has repeatedly exposed MSPs who use the system for short taxi journeys between the Scottish parliament and Edinburgh Waverley railway station, which can be walked in a few minutes.
As a result of our coverage, the cost to the taxpayer has been slashed, but five politicians – including former SNP minister Linda Fabiani and Labour’s deputy presiding officer Elaine Smith – all claimed £2.36 for the journey last year.
Hotels made up a large bulk of the claims. After losing the use of Bute House as his official Edinburgh residence, former First Minister Alex Salmond charged taxpayers £4,245 in hotel bills.
Tory MSP Jamie McGrigor claimed £263.87 for a staff member to travel to Brussels by Eurostar, plus £346 for two nights in a four- star hotel. Fellow Tory Jackson Carlaw claimed £173 for a night in the five- star Radisson Blu Edwardian Hampshire in London’s Leicester Square, while Labour MSP Anne McTaggart paid £346 for two nights in London’s four-star Strand Palace.
Nationalist MSP Fiona McLeod topped the bill for the most expensive dinner, £43.40 during a one-night stay in Edinburgh, while SNP colleague Angus Macdonald was happy with a £3 hotel meal. Nationalist MSP Colin Keir, who has been deselected by members, submitted a claim for a £4,194 printer.
The most expensive MSP was the SNP’s Chic Brodie, at £52,395, however he outsources most of his staffing costs – which are not included in other claims. He was followed by Lib Dems Tavish Scott and Liam McArthur, who represent Shetland and Orkney constituencies, requiring regular air travel. Tory Lothian MSP Gavin Brown was the cheapest politician, claiming £2,408.