Michael Matheson breached code of conduct over iPad bill

Michael Matheson said he did not want the parliamentary investigation to become a "distraction"

Former Scottish health secretary Michael Matheson has been found to have breached the MSPs code of conduct in relation to a £11,000 bill he racked up on a parliamentary iPad.

Mr Matheson stepped down from his cabinet post last month, citing the investigation as the reason.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) published its findings on Thursday.

Holyrood's standards committee will now decide if he should be sanctioned.

The iPad charges, initially paid out of the public purse, were incurred during a family trip to Morocco in late 2022.

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When details of the bill were first made public, he said the device had only been used for parliamentary work.

But he later admitted that his sons had used the iPad as a Wi-Fi hotspot so they could watch football.

Mr Matheson has since paid back the bill in full and apologised.

He was found to have breached clauses of the MSP code of conduct which say members must "abide by the policies" of the SPCB and that "no improper use should be made of any payment or allowance made to members for public purposes".

Analysis by BBC Scotland political correspondent David Henderson

This ruling marks another humiliation for Michael Matheson - and it's not over yet.

Just months ago, he was known as one of the safest pairs of hands in government.

Now he's been found guilty of breaching the MSPs code of conduct, and faces action by the Scottish Parliament's standards committee.

So what sanctions could be imposed? It's rare to see MSPs hauled over the coals like this. But when it happens, the result can be tough.

In June 2005, four Scottish Socialist MSPs were banned from Parliament for a month, for disrupting business with a protest over the G8 summit. They lost their salaries and allowances, too.

Any punishment will be embarrassing for Michael Matheson, and it further reduces his chance of returning to government any time soon.

The SPCB said: "The SPCB decided that, based on the evidence presented in the investigation report and its findings in fact, Mr Matheson had breached sections 7.3 and 7.4 of the code of conduct and thereby upheld the three complaints within the SPCB's remit.

"While the costs to the public purse had been addressed, the SPCB agreed that the Nolan Principles of Standards in Public Life, embedded in the scheme and underpinning the appropriate use of parliamentary resources, represented the high standard by which all members must abide and in which the SPCB considered the public must continue to have confidence."

The report will be referred to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee to consider if the former minister should be sanctioned.

The SPCB - which made no recommendations as to potential punishment - said the full report, including annexes, would be published after the committee's consideration.

Mr Matheson initially used his MSP expenses and office costs to cover the bill, before resolving to pay it himself as he faced intense pressure and scrutiny over the incident.

He had originally told journalists there had been no personal use of the device.

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy MSP said: "This is a devastating and damning report for the disgraced former health secretary.

"It is little wonder he was shamefully stalling for time on its publication given he has been found to have breached the MSPs' code of conduct multiple times.

"This amounts to the most serious of charges against any elected member and Mr Matheson must do the right thing and resign as an MSP now."

He added: "He must also confirm that he will not take a penny of his ministerial severance pay given what the report has found.

"The public saw through the repeated lies from the outset and now they have been fully exposed. Humza Yousaf also must urgently explain why he backed his former cabinet colleague for so long, rather than sacking him when his lies were first uncovered."

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said "appropriate action" must be taken against the former health secretary.

"The conclusion of this long-running investigation is to be welcomed, but the findings pose serious questions for the first minister and the SNP government," she said.

"The fact is that Humza Yousaf and senior ministers were complicit in Michael Matheson's attempt to mislead the parliament.

"This is a serious error of judgment. Appropriate action must be taken against Mr Matheson."