Meeting of the Parliament 29 May 2024
We will vote in favour of the recommendation by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee. However much we might dislike the outcomes, we will find ourselves in very difficult territory if we take a pick-and-mix approach to the recommendations of the Parliament’s established processes.
With regard to the concerns of the First Minister, although Annie Wells could have followed the course of action that was taken by Stephen Kerr, she was not required to do so by parliamentary standing orders.
On Kate Forbes’s amendment, I am troubled by the Government seeking to issue instructions with regard to the complaints process and its independence, especially in a case on which there was so much agreement.
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and the Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee both agreed that Mr Matheson breached sections 7.3 and 7.4 of the code of conduct for MSPs. That conclusion was reached by all members of the committee, including those from the SNP.
All members of the committee, including the SNP members, agreed that Mr Matheson made an improper claim. All members, including the SNP members, agreed that Mr Matheson failed to undertake a sufficient level of inquiry before submitting the claim. All members, including the SNP members, agreed that Mr Matheson failed to abide by the policies adopted by the corporate body. All members, including the SNP members, agreed that Mr Matheson failed to ensure that his parliamentary iPad hotspot facility was not used for non-parliamentary purposes to a significant extent.