I have confidence in Michael Matheson, says Justice Secretary

Scotland’s Justice Secretary has said she has confidence in her cabinet colleague Michael Matheson amid a row over the near-£11,000 data roaming bill he racked up on his parliamentary iPad.

Angela Constance said that Mr Matheson has apologised unreservedly and now continues to focus on his job as Health Secretary as the country prepares for the winter months.

Last week, the Health Secretary made an emotional statement to MSPs in which he revealed his teenage sons had run up the costs by using the device to watch football while on a family holiday in Morocco.

Speaking after opening a forensic services laboratory in Glasgow on Wednesday, Ms Constance told the PA news agency: “I do have confidence in Michael Matheson.

“Michael Matheson has made a very public and full statement, he has apologised unreservedly, he has paid the £11,000 that was incurred as a result of roaming charges and he himself acknowledges that things could have been handled better, but I think he is doing what needs to be done.

“A very full, and frank clearly very painful statement for him that he made in parliament when standing orders were suspended and he answered questions from members, but he continues to focus on his job as Health Secretary particularly as we prepare for the winter months.”

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

The Health Secretary spoke to journalists on Monday, saying his earlier statement to Parliament had gone into “great detail”.

Asked directly if he had lied to the press, Mr Matheson stated: “I set out all the circumstances and explained the way in which I’d handled it in the course of my personal statement last week.”

He said he was now “focused on making sure I do my job as Health Secretary in supporting the health and social care system in Scotland” over the winter period.

On Wednesday, the Scottish Tories called for Mr Matheson to be investigated by Holyrood’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee in relation to the MSP code of conduct.

Party leader Douglas Ross said it was “imperative” the investigation happens and announced his party will be submitting a no confidence motion in the Health Secretary.

Speaking in Holyrood on Wednesday, Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy said Mr Matheson, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister had “misled” MSPs, and the Health Secretary had been “accused of lying to the Scottish press”.

He also said Scots would view the Scottish Parliament as “totally toothless” due to what he claimed was a lack of scrutiny of Mr Matheson.