Michael Matheson investigation to publish initial findings next month following £11,000 data bill row

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An investigation into how a senior SNP minister racked up an £11,000 data roaming bill on an official iPad is expected to publish its initial findings next month.Michael Matheson had charged the eye-watering bill to the taxpayer after claiming he had only used the device for official purposes while on a family holiday last year.But the Health Secretary then agreed to pay the full amount from his own pocket following uproar from opposition parties.The veteran MSP has since faced repeated calls to resign from Labour and the Tories after he told journalists he had not used the iPad for personal use on the holiday - before changing his story.The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is investigating, and minutes of its meeting last week, published on Thursday, show the cross-party body has said it will likely be in a position to provide Matheson with the findings of its report in January.The minutes said: “The corporate body noted that a robust process and timeline would ensure fairness and help mitigate potential challenge to the SPCB.“The initial statement of provisional findings would likely be provided to the member in January 2024, but the SPCB agreed that work should continue at pace.“The SPCB agreed the final report would be published.”It is not clear when the final report will be released, but the minutes also said Matheson is expected to have up to two weeks to respond to the initial findings before the investigation is concluded.To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.