Lib Dem under fire for flyer

Edinburgh South Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Pringle is a member of the Scottish Parliament's corporate body, which agreed a ban on members issuing taxpayer-funded publications covering their activities over the past four years. The aim was to stop those seeking re-election from using their normal annual reports to constituents, paid for by the parliament, as propaganda for the election.

But Mr Pringle's report includes a full page headed "An eight-year record of action" which lists campaigns he has been involved in over the last two terms of the Scottish Parliament.

Now a complaint from a member of the public has been sent to presiding officer Alex Fergusson.

Official minutes show Mr Pringle was present at the corporate body meeting which agreed "members could not claim for the printing and distribution costs of a four-yearly report covering the whole parliamentary session".

In his latest "annual" report, entitled "Mike Pringle Reports Back - Spring 2011 Edition", he boasts of his work on issues ranging from education to post offices to the environment, with specific campaigns itemised against different years. Out of 18 bullet points, all but one relate to years before 2010.

Mr Pringle also failed to state on the leaflet that it had been paid for from parliamentary resources.

In his complaint to the presiding officer, Marchmont resident Peng Lee Yap, a Labour Party member, said: "This raises great ambiguity on whether this latest leaflet is a party political or parliamentary communication. I would therefore be grateful if you could confirm if this leaflet has, or has not, been paid for out of Scottish Parliament funds."

On the ban on four-yearly reports, Mr Yap added: "As you can see from Mr Pringle's leaflet it outlines actions not over the last year, but over the last eight years. Again I would request confirmation on the rules surrounding this aspect of the publication. It seems clear to me that Mr Pringle has either broken parliamentary rules, or electoral law."

Mr Pringle accepted he had failed to include the required statement about how the publication was funded.

He said: "I should have had this thing on it saying 'Paid for by parliamentary resources' and I didn't check the leaflet before it went out to make sure that was on it. I take responsibility for that."

But he claimed his list of past activities was not in breach of the rules: "I made sure my staff had a copy of the guidelines and they checked them before they wrote the leaflet.

"Looking at the guidelines, I think you are allowed to do that. Otherwise we would not have done it."

Chisholm dishes out his support

HE may be more used to cooking up a storm in the Scottish Parliament's debating chamber, but Malcolm Chisholm MSP will be transferring his skills to the kitchen when he cooks for the public later this month.

The Edinburgh North & Leith Labour MSP will be offering his services for one night only to the Community Organisation for Racial Equality (CORE), which runs a "world cafe" at the end of each month.

Customers will be served up a dish made by the MSP's own hands but he is not yet sure what he will be making.

Mr Chisholm said: "CORE is a great community organisation that I've supported for many years.

"The World Kitchen events do a brilliant job of bringing communities together and so I'm delighted to be invited to take part.

"I haven't decided what I'm going to cook yet - I'm going to see if I can come up with something that will appeal to everyone's tastes.

"I might cook lentil soup, but I might be a bit more ambitious.

"I wouldn't claim to be a brilliant cook but I'm perfectly adequate."

Mr Chisholm will be serving up his dish at the North Edinburgh Arts Centre on March 25 from 5-7.30pm. Advanced booking is recommended.