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Wednesday, 20 May 2009 |
Solidarity News Release Sheridan calls for Scottish parliament to take the lead in restoring confidence after second homes scandal  Solidarity co-convenor Tommy Sheridan today called for the Scottish Parliament to take the moral lead in restoring public confidence in the expenses and second homes scandals that have engulfed Westminster politics. Mr. Sheridan, who, when a list MSP for Glasgow, was an early and persistent critic of the use of the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance to purchase second homes for MSPs at public expense has called on the Scottish Parliament to revisit a potential solution to the problem he first raised a number of years ago – by publicly buying and retaining property which can be occupied by MSPs outwith travelling distance of Edinburgh during their time of tenure in the Parliament.
“It goes without saying that the 28 MSPs who have benefited from buying homes with taxpayer money in the past should undertake to return that money, together with any profit accrued from its investment to the public purse, “said Mr. Sheridan. “However, we must also recognise it is also expensive for the taxpayer to pay for overnight stays in hotels for elected representatives who come from some distance outside the capital. The parliament in Scotland should take a lead by looking at the possibility of buying up a range of Edinburgh properties which MSPs who require working week accommodation can use free of charge. The tax payer would then own any property required and benefit from any final sale, while MSPs would be able to do their jobs without the temptation to personally benefit from the system. “ “The set up in the Scottish Parliament is already ahead of the corrupting Westminster system in many respects,” said Mr. Sheridan. “The parliament has looked at mortgage payments for second homes and agreed to phase them out. From the beginning we have had much more transparency around the question of expenses. I believe we should now show the way forward to the UK as a whole by removing any question of impropriety over second homes or hotel expenses by providing publicly owned accommodation free of charge to elected representatives who require it to do their job.” |
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