Scotland’s health secretary quits after iPad row

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Michael Matheson said he did not want the parliamentary investigation to become a “distraction”

By Angus Cochrane

BBC Scotland News

Scotland’s health secretary Michael Matheson, whose sons racked up an £11,000 bill on his parliamentary iPad while on holiday, has resigned.

Mr Matheson said he was standing down because he did not want the row over the bill to become a distraction.

It comes ahead of the publication of an investigation into the incident by the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.

The iPad charges, initially paid out of the public purse, were incurred during a trip to Morocco in late 2022.

In December Mr Matheson admitted that his sons had used data from the device to watch football.

He has since paid back the bill in full and apologised.

In his resignation letter to First Minister Humza Yousaf, Mr Matheson said he had still not received the corporate body’s report.

He added: “However, it is in the best interest of myself and the government for me to now step down to ensure this does not become a distraction to taking forward the government’s agenda.”

When news of the iPad bill first emerged in November, Mr Yousaf initially described it as a “legitimate” expense.

After Mr Matheson admitted his sons had been involved, the first minister resisted calls to sack him and denied he had been misled by the health secretary.

Mr Matheson, who has served in government for more than 12 years, had been due to give a statement to parliament on Thursday afternoon about changes to minimum unit pricing for alcoholic drinks.

His junior minister, Elena Whitham, also resigned this week, citing health issues.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, First Minister Humza Yousaf stood by Michael Matheson

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) – which is in charge of Holyrood’s finances – is investigating whether an improper claim was made by Mr Matheson on parliamentary resources and whether he failed to follow parliament policies.

It said it would give the minister two weeks to review its draft conclusions.

The SPCB could refer Mr Matheson to the parliament’s standards committee. It could also recommend the removal of Mr Matheson’s entitlement to reimbursement of expenses.

The body said it would not comment further on the matter while it was being investigated.

What has Michael Matheson said about the iPad bill?

In November, it was revealed that a £10,935.74 bill had been charged to Mr Matheson’s iPad following a holiday to Morocco with his wife and two sons.

He agreed with parliament in March that he would pay £3,000 from his own office expenses, with the rest to be paid by parliament.

Parliament said he had given an assurance that the device had only been used for constituency business.

When the story was first reported, Mr Matheson blamed an out-of-date Sim card and agreed to pay the money back.

In a statement to parliament two weeks later, he admitted the iPad had been used as a hotspot by his sons so they could watch football.

Resisting calls to resign, Mr Matheson admitted that the issue “could have been dealt with better” but said his initial denial that anyone else had used the device was a “genuine attempt” to try to shield his family.