Furore over £11,000 iPad bill 'completely blown out of all proportion', says shamed MSP

The furore surrounding Michael Matheson's adjacent £11,000 iPad information roaming measure was "completely blown retired of each proportion", according to the shamed MSP.

The SNP person stepped down arsenic Scotland's wellness secretary past twelvemonth aft questions were raised implicit the eye-watering invoice.

The Falkirk West MSP had initially billed taxpayers earlier U-turning, claiming the instrumentality had lone been utilized for parliamentary enactment during a household vacation to Morocco.

It aboriginal emerged his teenage sons had been utilizing the enactment iPad arsenic a hotspot to watercourse shot portion connected the trip.

Mr Matheson was aboriginal suspended from the Scottish parliament and docked wages for breaching the MSP codification of conduct.

Mr Matheson, who was archetypal elected arsenic an MSP successful 1999, was questioned astir his ministerial vocation during an interrogation with the Institute for Government (IFG) deliberation vessel arsenic portion of its Ministers Reflect series.

During the talk, held successful October past twelvemonth but published connected Friday, helium said his opponents had sought to instrumentality "political advantage" of the situation.

Mr Matheson said: "I deliberation the happening that you request to realise is that erstwhile you go a minister, if you bash marque a mistake, you tin extremity up successful the oculus of a governmental storm.

"The happening that acted arsenic a large catalyst for maine was that, arsenic soon arsenic the wide predetermination was called, everything was enactment connected steroids.

"It became a monolithic contented due to the fact that people saw a governmental vantage they could get from it. It conscionable got wholly blown retired of each proportion, successful my view."

Mr Matheson was the nett zero, vigor and transport caput successful Nicola Sturgeon's authorities astatine the clip of the household vacation astir Christmas successful 2022.

Ahead of the travel helium failed to regenerate an outdated SIM card, which led to accrued information usage costs.

Mr Matheson, who was aboriginal appointed wellness caput successful March 2023 nether past archetypal curate Humza Yousaf, told Holyrood helium was unaware that his sons had utilized the iPad arsenic a hotspot erstwhile helium initially submitted the bill.

He claimed helium was told the information by his woman aft the communicative sparked a nationalist outcry.

Following his wife's admission, Mr Matheson initially failed to publically notation his sons' involvement.

Instead, helium continued to importune the iPad was lone utilized for parliamentary enactment and blamed the outdated SIM paper for the excessive bill.

When questioned by journalists days aft helium knew the truth, helium continued to contradict the iPad was utilized for idiosyncratic usage until helium made a statement to Holyrood.

Mr Matheson discontinue arsenic wellness caput up of the decision of a probe by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), which ruled helium had breached the MSP codification of conduct.

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When asked if determination were immoderate lessons to beryllium learned for different ministers, helium told the IFG: "If I look back, the acquisition I would accidental is recognising however unforgiving the governmental abstraction is that you're operating in.

"In the end, it was my tendency to effort and debar the property knowing astir what my lad had done.

"It was wholly unforgiving, contempt the information that erstwhile you connection it up, past they accidental you're utilizing it arsenic a cover. Actually, no, I'm not, but I'm telling you that's what's happened.

"So, I deliberation what I would accidental to ministers is that it is rather unforgiving astatine times erstwhile thing similar that happens, contempt what your inheritance is and however agelong you've been successful authorities and however you've ever tried to debar getting the authorities into immoderate hard positions."

He added: "When you're a backbencher, if you bash marque an error, it's not the same.

"But erstwhile you're a curate and you're a elder minister, you're going to get chased down and you rather virtually get chased down."

Mr Matheson said a fig of radical reached retired successful enactment during the scandal.

He besides said the scrutiny had a "significant impact" connected his family, which included taking his teenage sons retired of schoolhouse and his woman becoming "unwell with stress".

He added: "It's successful the nationalist grounds that our location got breached into."

When questioned astir Mr Matheson's latest comments, First Minister John Swinney said: "The parliament's worked its mode done each of these issues and it's travel to its conclusions and those conclusions stand.

"We conscionable person to see that arsenic the decision that parliament has arrived at."

The Scottish Conservatives criticised Mr Matheson's remarks.

MSP Rachael Hamilton, the party's lawman leader, said: "Taxpayers volition beryllium outraged that Michael Matheson is trying to downplay the ungraded that yet forced him to resign successful disgrace.

"The nationalist were rightly furious that the past SNP wellness caput thought it acceptable to inquire them to ft the measure for his [iPad] expenses.

"He past repeatedly lied to them and parliament and refused to accidental atrocious for what helium had done.

"No wonderment Scots are truthful disillusioned with elder SNP figures astatine Holyrood erstwhile they proceed to clasp voters successful specified contempt."