MSP who quit after expenses scandal applies for pension

KEITH Raffan, the MSP who resigned after he claimed more than £40,000 in car mileage expenses, has applied for a pension from Holyrood, it was revealed yesterday.

Mr Raffan, whose travel claims are being looked at by Scottish parliament officials, has claimed that he is entitled to the pension at the age of 56 because he is unable to work.

A spokesman for the parliament refused to comment on Mr Raffan's application, which is based on his claim that he suffers from a bad back.

However, it is understood that under Holyrood's rules, the former MSP has the right to ask for his pension payment to be brought forward if he can prove that he is suffering from ill-heath and unable to get another job.

The Scottish Parliament's Corporate Body (SPCB), the administrative group made up of senior MSPs, will have to seek medical advice in order to judge whether Mr Raffan is entitled to take what for him would be a pension of around 15,000 a year now, rather than when he reaches the age of 65.

Officials at the parliament received Mr Raffan's request before the summer recess but have yet to make a decision on it. The MSP provoked new controversy over politicians' expenses when, earlier this year, it was disclosed that he had been paid 41,154 in mileage claims alone.

The value of the former MSP's pension can be calculated by multiplying his average salary over the past 12 months by the years of "reckonable" service. The figure is then divided by 50. With five years' service and nine years to go before reaching 65, Mr Raffan would be entitled to around 15,000 per annum.

Accountants Deloitte Touche are investigating Mr Raffan's expenses. SPCB members have also looked at a draft report from the firm before the summer recess but have yet to respond to the findings.

The Scotsman was unable to contact Mr Raffan for a comment last night.