Tearful SNP minister blames teenage sons for racking up £11,000 iPad roaming charges – footed by taxpayer – by watching football matches during Morocco holiday

An SNP minister finally came clean over nearly £11,000 of roaming charges on his taxpayer-funded iPad today.

In a tearful statement to Holyrood, Health Secretary Michael Matheson said his teenage sons had been watching football while on holiday in Morocco after Christmas last year.

Having previously insisted he had been using the device for parliamentary purposes, Mr Matheson said this afternoon that he had been trying to protect his family.

He made clear he had now repaid the sum in full, but dismissed suggestions he should quit.

Details released by the Scottish Parliament revealed that in one session on January 2, a total of 3.18GB of data was used, costing £7,345.689.

In a tearful statement to Holyrood, Health Secretary Michael Matheson said his teenage sons had been watching football while on holiday in Morocco after Christmas last year

Having previously insisted he had been using the device for parliamentary purposes, Mr Matheson said this afternoon that he had been trying to protect his family

In total the data charges amounted to a total of £10,935.74. 

Mr Matheson told MSPs he had not mentioned his family’s use of the device before now because he was a ‘father first and foremost’ and had wanted to ‘protect’ his children from ‘the political and media scrutiny’.

But he added: ‘That was a mistake and I am sorry…

‘I can see now that it just isn’t possible to explain the data usage without explaining their role.’

Mr Matheson said: ‘Mistakes have been made. By me. By my family.’

He told MSPs it was only when he returned home last Thursday, after the row about the data bill had erupted, that he was ‘made aware by my wife that other members of our family had made use of the iPad’s data’ while on the holiday.

The Health Secretary insisted: ‘This was the first I knew that the data had been used by anyone else.

‘I had previously checked this but the truth only emerged after this story was in the news.’

Mr Matheson added that he ‘should have pressed harder’ about family use of the device, but he made clear to MSPs: ‘The responsibility for the iPad is mine.

‘The responsibility for the data usage is mine.’

He and his wife immediately decided to reimburse the Scottish Parliament ‘for the full cost’ at that point.

In his statement, he made clear to MSPs that he ‘did not knowingly run up the roaming charges bill’.

But he accepted that the bill had come about as a result of him ‘not updating the Sim card’ in the device to Holyrood’s new contract provider.

He also recognised that he should have informed the Parliament in advance of the trip, and that he would be taking the iPad with him.

‘My mistake, and I wholly accept this, was not to have sorted all of this out long before I went to Morocco,’ the Health Secretary said.

He added there had been ‘mistakes’ made in the way he handled the matter, saying: ‘I should have sorted the Sim card. And I should have investigated what happened more thoroughly.

‘I accept that, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly.’

The statement came after Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross urged First Minister Humza Yousaf to ‘do the right thing’ and sack the Health Secretary.

Mr Ross said: ‘The evidence shows that Michael Matheson claimed £11,000 of taxpayers’ money when he knew it wasn’t for parliamentary work.

‘It wasn’t just a mistake, it was dishonest.’

Mr Yousaf insisted, however, that he had ‘absolute confidence in Michael Matheson as the Cabinet Secretary for Health’.

In his statement to Holyrood Mr Matheson told MSPs the disclosing the information about his family had been ‘extremely difficult’ for him.

Asked afterwards by journalists if he had offered his resignation at any point, Mr Matheson said: ‘No I haven’t. I don’t intend to.’

Mr Ross pressed him on why he had claimed the bill had occured while he was using the device for parliamentary work, with Mr Matheson saying it had been a ‘very challenging and emotional time for my family’.

He added he had not provided the full details earlier ‘because it would implicate my children in this issue’.

Asked afterwards by journalists if he had offered his resignation at any point, Mr Matheson said: ‘No I haven’t. I don’t intend to. I intend to continue my work as MSP for Falkirk West and also to continue with the considerable responsibilities as Health Secretary.’

Asked if he had been watching football, he stated: ‘No, I didn’t watch the football. I didn’t know the football was being watched.’

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