RENFREWSHIRE MSP Derek Mackay claimed expenses for accommodation in Edinburgh in July...despite not being seen at the Scottish Parliament since he quit as finance secretary five months earlier.
Mr Mackay, who had previously been tipped as a possible successor to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, resigned his Scottish Government position in February after it was revealed he had sent hundreds of messages to a 16-year-old schoolboy on Instagram and Facebook.
He has not been present at Holyrood since then but it has now emerged he claimed expenses for accommodation in Edinburgh for 10 days in July.
Documents released by Holyrood under freedom of information laws show he claimed £327 to cover rent from July 5 to July 14.
Holyrood was formally in summer recess at that time, although the Scottish Parliament did sit on one of those days to hear a coronavirus update from Ms Sturgeon.
The cost of accommodation was included in six expenses claims made by Mr Mackay in July and August, which amounted to more than £1,800.
Mr Mackay now represents Renfrewshire North and West as an independent MSP, despite his resignation from the government, which came just hours before he was due to present Holyrood's budget.
The Scottish Conservatives are pushing to change Holyrood rules so that MSPs who do not attend Holyrood for six months are forced to stand down.
A spokesperson for Derek Mackay MSP said: “The expenditure, which complies with Scottish Parliament allowance rules, covered the notice period and requirements of terminating the accommodation tenancy.
“Mr Mackay’s Renfrewshire North and West constituency office is continuing to operate remotely, in line with the Scottish Government’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance, in dealing with casework and making representations on behalf of constituents.”
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