Holyrood to appoint independent expert to review MSP complaints process

The Scottish Parliament is seeking an independent expert to review the complaints process for MSPs.

It follows the decision last year to suspend former health Secretary Michael Matheson for 27 days, after Holyrood’s Standards Committee choose to sanction him.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), the cross-party group which oversees the Parliament, has agreed to undertake an independent review of the complaints process and is now looking to appoint a “suitable expert” before the end of June.

The appointment would require around 40 days’ work from the successful applicant.

Mr Matheson, the Falkirk West MSP, resigned as health secretary after questions were raised about an £11,000 data roaming bill on his parliamentary iPad.

After initially saying the device was used for official work, he later admitted his sons had used it as a data hotspot to watch football during a holiday in Morocco.

He was suspended by Parliament in May last year, but Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes submitted an amendment to the motion saying the SPCB should initiate a review to “restore integrity and confidence in the Parliament and its procedures”.

She had argued that a member of the Standards Committee, Conservative MSP Annie Wells, had risked prejudicing the process by making public pronouncements before the committee had considered the issue.

A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: “The Parliament instructed the SPCB to undertake an independent review of the complaints process.

“The focus will be on the process for recommending and agreeing sanctions on MSPs.

“The SPCB has today advertised for a suitably qualified expert to carry out the review.

“The expectation is the role should be no more than 40 days’ work for the successful applicant.”