MSPs forced to name family members on public payroll

Three ministers are on holyrood list, including sturgeon

By Tim Pauling

Published:

One in five MSPs uses taxpayers’ money to employ a relative, it was revealed yesterday.

A total of 25 MSPs, including three Scottish Government ministers, employ family members, according to a new Holyrood register.

At the beginning of October MSPs were given 30 days to reveal whether they employed a relative under a new system of allowances.

The requirement covers husbands, wives, civil partners and co-habitees, as well as parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, brother, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces.

Liberal Democrat MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, John Farquhar Munro, failed to declare that he employs his wife, Celia.

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) will decide if he should be reported to the standards committee.

A parliament spokeswoman said: “Mr Munro’s declaration has been added to the register today.

“It will be a matter for the corporate body to decide how to proceed. The member has been invited to explain the late registration.

“Based on this information the SPCB will form a view.”

A Lib Dem spokeswoman said Mr Munro’s office failed to declare the matter due to an “administrative error”.

A total of 11 SNP, 11 Labour, two Tories and one Lib Dem (not including Mr Munro) are on the register.

No salary details were given on the grounds of confidentiality.

mother

Deputy First Minister and Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has employed her mother Joan as a constituency assistant since January 2004.

Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, Jim Mather, has employed his wife Maureen as a secretary and clerical assistant since 2004.

Communities and Sport Minister Stewart Maxwell has employed his wife Mary as a researcher since July 2003.

Aberdeen North SNP MSP Brian Adam employs his son Alan as a parliamentary assistant, and Angus SNP MSP Andrew Welsh employs his nephew Gary Ferguson as a researcher.

Highland and Island Tory MSP Jamie McGrigor employs his wife Emma as an assistant and researcher.

Labour MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill Michael McMahon has two of his family on the payroll. His wife Margaret has been a parliamentary assistant and office manager since February 2002, and his daughter Siobhan has been a researcher since July 2000.

Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers Alliance, said it was an outdated practice that should not be allowed any more.

“Ordinary taxpayers who vote for these MSPs and foot the bill simply don’t understand why such bizarre ways of doing business are OK at Holyrood when they would not be OK in any other company,” he said.

Lib Dem MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Mike Rumbles, said while there was nothing wrong with the practice, it should be banned because it reinforced the public perception that MSPs were cashing in at the expense of taxpayers.