Row as Scots taxpayers get the bill for arts minister's kilt jacket

FRANK McAveety, the embattled culture minister, found himself at the centre of fresh controversy yesterday after billing the taxpayer for the cost of a kilt jacket he bought last year.

Mr McAveety, who has been subject to more speculation about his future as a minister than the other members of the Executive put together, claimed 279.90 for the dress jacket he wore at the Cannes Film Festival.

Ministers are allowed to claim expenses for clothing bought for official duties but, apart from the hire of a formal suit by Jim Wallace, this was the first example of a minister taking advantage of the perk.

Officials said the minister was saving the taxpayer money because he no longer had to hire formal Highland dress for official functions. But his opponents said Mr McAveety should pay his own way.

Brian Monteith, for the Tories, called Mr McAveety’s behaviour "outrageous".

He said: "The trews I wear at official functions I have paid for myself and I don’t think ministers should expect the taxpayer to pay for theirs."

And in a veiled reference to the First Minister’s stylised kilt that found fame in New York, Fergus Ewing, for the SNP, said: "I just hope he doesn’t claim another 300 for buying the bottom half from Jack."

Mr McAveety came under fire from another direction yesterday as leading composer James McMillan called on him to be sacked, claiming he was one of a number of "ignorant" and "incompetent" politicians destroying Scotland’s artistic reputation.