Presiding Officer’s new £13,600 perk
A NEW taxpayer-funded perk is to be provided for the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament after the elections.
Under the current rules, no MSP is allowed to use parliamentary expenses to rent a property in Edinburgh unless their constituency home is more than 90 minutes’ travel from Holyrood.
But MSPs have quietly changed the rules for the Presiding Officer, claiming the ‘increasing workload’ of the job requires a base in the Scottish capital.
The move makes it likely that the SNP’s Bruce Crawford, who is seeking re-election in Stirling in May and is widely tipped to succeed Tricia Marwick as Presiding Officer when Holyrood reconvenes, would be eligible to receive up to £13,600 a year from the public purse towards an Edinburgh home.
This is in addition to other perks of the post – Holyrood’s equivalent to the House of Commons Speaker – including a larger salary and pension and a chauffeurdriven car.
Details of the new perk emerged in a paper passed by members of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.
The report says: ‘Over each parliamentary session we have recognised the increasing workload of the Presiding Officers and in Session Five this will not abate in any way, especially with the new powers of the parliament.
‘The Presiding Officer is required to be based at Holyrood for a significant part of the week, including frequent evenings, some weekends and often during parliamentary recesses.’ The Presiding Officer already receives a £103,495 salary. Eben Wilson, of the Taxpayer-Scotland pressure group, said: ‘Given that ordinary workers don’t get subsidies to help them commute, it is very important that the Presiding Officer is not seen to be separated from the experience of ordinary people.’