AN ISSUE that focuses the mind of almost all MSPs and causes more furrowed brows, hand- wringing and heated arguments in corridors than anything else will be back on the agenda next week. Expenses.
MSPs will have to decide how many, if any, of the recommendations produced in the report from the review led by Sir Alan Langlands into their allowances (as they prefer to term them) they will accept.
Expenses are very dear to the heart of most MS
Ps, although few like to admit it and less like to talk about them. But such is the trepidation surrounding the decision that it has already been delayed a week to allow the party groups to meet.
The most contentious payment was the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance, worth up to £11,400 a year, which was used by many MSPs, who lived outwith travelling distance from Holyrood, to invest in the Edinburgh housing market by paying the interest on mortgages.
I understand that, however much it grieves many of the MSPs who hail from the far- flung reaches of the country and will now have to sell up if they get re-elected, the recommendation that the allowance should only be used for rent will get through.
Some argue rent is higher than mortgage interest but they know they've lost the moral argument.
There are still some who believe that the review should have been agreed immediately and not been farmed out to the party whips and managers. The argument goes that it is pointless to have an independent review and then change it.
I have been told that the Labour group will take this view and vote for the document in total with no alterations.
The Liberal Democrats appear to be confirming a few prejudices by pointing in both directions on it. So their current plan is to have a free vote.
However, it appears the SNP, the Conservatives, probably the Greens and maybe independent MSP Margo MacDonald will combine to force one significant alteration.
The likelihood is that they will overturn the recommendation that list MSPs should get less office support money than constituency ones – £45,000 compared to £62,000 per annum. They will simply even out the extra £1.25 million Sir Alan recommended should be paid on staff and office expenses.
The division is no coincidence – the SNP and Tories are predominantly made up of list MSPs and the two Greens and Margo MacDonald are list members, whereas Labour and the Lib Dems are mostly constituency members.
The SNP's 47 MSPs would get £2,421,000 a year compared to £2,699,000 for Labour's 46 MSPs.
And whatever it is meant for, a smaller pot of money undermines efforts of MSPs themselves and prepare for their real business of winning elections and seats.
The full article contains 477 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
