£11.7m: MSPs' expenses highest yet

Published on Thursday 9 September 2010 18:01

MSPs' expenses reached an inflation-busting record level in 2009-10 with Holyrood politicians spending £1 million more on wages for their researchers and assistants than they did in the previous financial year.

• Aileen Campbell, above, Holyrood's youngest MSP, claimed 19,441

The total claimed by the 129 members of the Scottish Parliament reached almost 11.7m, the highest figure recorded since devolution.

The increasing cost of paying MSPs' staff largely accounted for the spiralling expenses bill with the amount claimed to cover researchers' salaries, pensions and national insurance contributions rising from 7,320,693 in 2008-09 to 8,395,460 this year.

The climbing cost of staff allowances, which resulted from a review brought in to tackle the low pay of researchers, was offset by a reduction of around 300,000 when it came to the expenses MSPs claimed for themselves.

Even so, expenses increased overall by 6.45 per cent - more than double the 3.1 per cent inflation rate - from the 2008-09 figure of 10,956,204 to 11,662,598 - an overall rise of 706,394.

As one might expect given the travelling involved in representing the Shetland islands, Tavish Scott, the Lib Dem leader, claimed the most of the four party leaders. Mr Scott received expenses of 35,983 compared with the 23,661 claimed by Labour leader Iain Gray, the MSP for East Lothian.

The Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie, a west of Scotland MSP, received a total of 9,924.

The 19,943 claimed by Alex Salmond, the SNP leader and First Minister, for expenses occurred in his role as the Gordon MSP included 180 for a new bookcase.

Other details to emerge with publication of the expenses for 2009-10 included the 403 claimed by the Enterprise Minister Jim Mather for a number of books.

Frank McAveety, the Labour MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, claimed almost 2,000 for car parking, almost a fifth of the 10,749 total for all MSPs.

Overall, travel expenses, which include train travel, car mileage and taxi rides, fell by 56,000 to 495,722. While 471,393 was paid out for stationery and postage.

Payments totalling 492,325 were made under the Edinburgh accommodation allowance - which is paid to those MSPs who stay outside commuting distance of the capital.

Members representing far flung areas of Scotland tended to claim the most with Alasdair Allan, SNP Western Isles, topping the list at 45,876. Next was Liam McArthur, the Lib Dem MSP for Orkney who claimed 38,635.

The increasing amounts of public money being spent on MSPs expenses was condemned by pressure groups.

"Taxpayers will be absolutely fuming about this," said Emma Boon of the Taxpayers' Alliance. "It shows complete ignorance on their part and shows a lack of understanding about how ordinary families are suffering."

The Holyrood authorities said the increasing staff costs were down to expenses reform recommendations proposed by Alan Langlands.

The recommendations aimed to redress the poor wages drawn by researchers and interns, and 2009-10 marked the first full year since their introduction.

The Holyrood authorities were unable to say how many researchers were employed by MSPs. But most members employ at least one or two assistants. Constituency MSPs are entitled to a maximum of 62,000 for their staff budget. List MSPs have a staff budget maximum of 45,000.

403 on books

JIM Mather, the Enterprise Minister, received 403 in claims for books. The SNP MSP's publicly funded library included a books on the collapse of the Irish economy, conflict resolution and the global economy. His purchases included 120 Technologies to Save the Planet and Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

1,000 on taxis

Wendy Alexander, the former Labour leader spent over 1,000 on taxis in 2009-10 - many of which were from the Holyrood Parliament to Waverley Station. The Paisley North MSP also regularly took a taxi from the station in Glasgow to her home. A Labour spokesman pointed out that she had a young family and went home almost every night and did not run up overnight allowance costs that she would be entiled to as an MSP from outside the capital.

2,000 on parking

Frank McAveety, the Glasgow Shettleston Labour MSP, claimed almost 2,000 for car parking, Labour explained that Mr McAveety tended to leave his car at Queen Street Station in Glasgow before taking the train to work in Edinburgh. Because he travelled home each night after work, Labour pointed out that he did not claim much for overnight accommodation.

The full list of MSPs and what they claimed

Brian Adam (SNP) Aberdeen North 18,135

Bashir Ahmad (SNP) Glasgow (died Feb 2009) 78

Bill Aitken (Con) Glasgow 18,250

Wendy Alexander (Lab) Paisley North 26,488

Alasdair Allan (SNP) Western Isles 45,876

Jackie Baillie (Lab) Dumbarton 25,893

Claire Baker (Lab) Mid Scotland and Fife 12,759

Richard Baker (Lab) North East Scotland 19,662

Sarah Boyack (Lab) Edinburgh Central 20,160

Rhona Brankin (Lab) Midlothian 15,377

Ted Brocklebank (Con) Mid Scotland and Fife 21,943

Gavin Brown (Con) Lothians 11,824

Keith Brown (SNP) Ochil 25,214

Robert Brown (Lib Dem) Glasgow 17,888

Derek Brownlee (Con) South of Scotland 9,745

Bill Butler (Lab) Glasgow Anniesland 18,790

Aileen Campbell (SNP) South of Scotland 19,441

Jackson Carlaw (Con) West of Scotland 23,012

Malcolm Chisholm (Lab) Edinburgh North and Leith 9,167

Willie Coffey (SNP) Kilmarnock and Loudoun 34,142

Angela Constance (SNP) Livingston 21,745

Cathie Craigie (Lab) Cumbernauld and Kilsyth 20,443

Bruce Crawford (SNP) Stirling 23,931

Roseanna Cunningham (SNP) Perth 25,386

Margaret Curran (Lab) Glasgow Baillieston 22,433

Nigel Don (SNP) North East Scotland 25,091

Bob Doris (SNP) Glasgow 17,506

Helen Eadie (Lab) Dunfermline East 21,484

Fergus Ewing (SNP) Inverness Nairn and Lochaber 26,675

Linda Fabiani (SNP) Central Scotland 20,539

Patricia Ferguson (Lab) Glasgow Maryhill 19,449

Alex Fergusson (Presiding Offcer) Galloway and Upper Nithsdale 17,717

Ross Finnie (Lib Dem) West of Scotland 21,126

Joe FitzPatrick (SNP) Dundee West 22,724

George Foulkes (Lab) Lothians 2,920

Murdo Fraser (Con) Mid Scotland and Fife 24,272

Kenneth Gibson (SNP) Cunninghame North 32,680

Rob Gibson (SNP) Highlands and Islands 27,018

Karen Gillon (Lab) Clydesdale 25,150

Marlyn Glen (Lab) North East Scotland 27,453

Trish Godman (Lab) West Renfrewshire 18,041

Annabel Goldie (Con) West of Scotland 9,925

Charlie Gordon (Lab) Glasgow Cathcart 27,565

Christine Grahame (SNP) South of Scotland 16,150

Rhoda Grant (Lab) Highland and Islands 29,605

Iain Gray (Lab) East Lothian 23,662

Robin Harper (Green) Lothians 5,504

Christopher Harvie (SNP) MidScotland/Fife 15,714

Patrick Harvie (Green) Glasgow 23,930

Hugh Henry (Lab) Paisley South 27,573

Jamie Hepburn (SNP) Central Scotland 11,058

Jim Hume (Lib Dem) South of Scotland 21,093

Fiona Hyslop (SNP) Lothians 10,485

Adam Ingram (SNP) South of Scotland 16,866

Cathy Jamieson (Lab) Carrick/Cumnock 26,310

Alex Johnstone (Con) NE Scotland 30,926

James Kelly (Lab) Rutherglen 18,533

Andy Kerr (Lab) East Kilbride 26,424

Bill Kidd (SNP) Glasgow 16,620

Johann Lamont (Lab) Glasgow 14,679

John Lamont (Con) Roxburgh and Berwickshire 30,970

Marilyn Livingstone (Lab) Kirkcaldy 17,817

Richard Lochhead (SNP) Moray 22,651

Kenny MacAskill (SNP) Edinbugh East and Musselburgh 18,561

Lewis Macdonald (Lab) Aberdeen Central 35,288

Margo MacDonald (Ind) Lothians 3,563

Kenneth Macintosh (Lab) Eastwood 22,369

Paul Martin (Lab) Glasgow Springburn 27,161

Tricia Marwick (SNP) Central Fife 22,096

Jim Mather (SNP) Argyll and Bute 24,063

Michael Matheson (SNP) Falkirk West 20,843

Stewart Maxwell (SNP) West of Scotland 23,725

Liam McArthur (Lib Dem) Orkney 38,635

Frank McAveety (Lab) Glasgow Shettleston 34,192

Tom McCabe (Lab) Hamilton South 13,486

Jack McConnell (Lab) Motherwell and Wishaw 22,238

Jamie McGrigor (Con) Highlands and Islands 29,565

Alison McInnes (Lib Dem) North East Scotland 27,229

Ian McKee (SNP) Lothians 6,956

Christina McKelvie (SNP) Central Scotland 13,987

Anne McLaughlin (SNP) Glasgow 20,460

David McLetchie (Con) Edinburgh Pentlands 14,430

Michael Matheson (SNP) Falkirk West 19,860

Stuart McMillan (SNP) West of Scotland 22,700

Duncan McNeil (Lab) Greenock and Inverclyde 27,975

Pauline McNeill (Lab) Glasgow Kelvin 25,087

Des McNulty (Lab) Clydebank and Milngavie 21,760

Nanette Milne (Con) North East Scotland 22.226

Margaret Mitchell (Con) Central Scotland 18,384

Alasdair Morgan (SNP) South of Scotland 17,683

Mary Mulligan (Lab) Linlithgow 15,146

John Farquhar Munro (Lib Dem) Ross, Skye, Inverness W 27,075

Elaine Murray (Lab) Dumfries 27,316

Alex Neil (SNP) Central Scotland 20,879

Hugh O'Donnell (Lib Dem) Central Scotland 11,066

Irene Oldfather (Lab) Cunninghame South 19,945

John Park (Lab) Mid Scotland and Fife 15,742

Gil Paterson (SNP) West of Scotland 13,538

Peter Peacock (Lab) Highlands and Islands 29,458

Cathy Peattie (Lab) Falkirk East 24,084

Mike Pringle (Lib Dem) Edinburgh South 18,702

Jeremy Purvis (Lib Dem) Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale 27,860

Shona Robison (SNP) Dundee East 12,944

Mike Rumbles (Lib Dem) West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine 21,148

Michael Russell (SNP) South of Scotland 27,151

Alex Salmond (SNP) Gordon 19,943

Mary Scanlon (Con) Highland and Islands 30,728

John Scott (Con) Ayr 26,077

Tavish Scott (Lib Dem) Shetland 35,983

Richard Simpson (Lab) Mid Scotland & Fife 18,502

Elaine Smith (Lab) Coatbridge & Chryston 19,592

Elizabeth Smith (Con) Mid Scotland & Fife 13,085

Iain Smith (Lib Dem) North East Fife 15,436

Margaret Smith (Lib Dem) Edinburgh West 13,598

Shirley-Anne Somerville (SNP) Lothians 9,422

Nicol Stephen (Lib Dem) Aberdeen South 27,243

Stewart Stevenson (SNP) Banff & Buchan 16,496

David Stewart (Lab) Highlands and Islands 32,867

Jamie Stone (Lib Dem) Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross 36,063

Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) Glasgow Govan 20,482

John Swinney (SNP) North Tayside 26,695

Dave Thompson (SNP) Highlands and Islands 36,129

Jim Tolson (Lib Dem) Dunfermline West 14,679

Maureen Watt (SNP) North East Scotland 19,135

Andrew Welsh (SNP) Angus 23,640

Sandra White (SNP) Glasgow 15,283

Karen Whitefeld (Lab) Airdrie and Shotts 23,336

David Whitton (Lab) Strathkelvin and Bearsden 32,088

Bill Wilson (SNP) West of Scotland 10,206

John Wilson (SNP) Central Scotland 8,788