The Scottish Conservatives have called on Humza Yousaf to apologise for not taking action against his former health secretary, Michael Matheson. Mr. Matheson resigned a day before the release of a report into his £11,000 parliamentary iPad bill. The Scottish Tory chairman, Craig Hoy, criticised Mr. Yousaf for supporting Mr. Matheson until now, describing him as “distracted and utterly disgraced” during a period of escalating A&E waiting times. Meanwhile, the first minister defended his judgement, stating that Mr. Matheson had served the country and parliament for decades and had asked for due process before announcing his resignation.
Mr. Matheson’s bill was initially paid out of the public purse for a family trip to Morocco in late 2022. He originally claimed that the iPad had been used exclusively for parliamentary work but later admitted that his sons had used it for football streaming. The former health secretary has since paid back the bill and apologised.
However, concerns remain as to the accuracy of Mr. Matheson’s expense claim and the implications for the SNP. The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body has been investigating whether he made an improper expenses claim, and Mr. Hoy argued that the report’s contents needed to be published to establish the timeline of events and what Mr. Matheson knew and when.
Mr. Matheson is eligible for a severance payment, worth three months of his final ministerial salary, after resigning. Neil Gray, a former parliamentary assistant and a member of the SNP, was named as the new health secretary. He takes over the largest area of Scottish government spending, accounting for 35% of the 2024-25 discretionary budget. Mr. Gray will face numerous health issues, including ambulance waiting times, extended wait times in A&E, and lengthy waiting lists
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