Health Secretary’s £11k iPad Bill Blamed on Teenage Sons
Taxpayers were left with an £11,000 bill after Health Secretary Michael Matheson’s iPad was used for streaming football games during a family holiday in Morocco. The SNP minister, who had previously insisted that the costs were due to parliamentary use, refused to step down and instead pointed the finger at his teenage sons for the hefty spend.
In an emotional statement, Mr. Matheson revealed that he only discovered his sons’ football streaming activities after the bill was made public. He claimed that the boys had used his government iPad as a ‘hotspot’ to access the data, and he expressed regret for not investigating the matter more thoroughly.
The controversy arose when it was revealed that the highest data usage on the iPad coincided with high-profile football matches. Mr. Matheson admitted that he should have been more vigilant and less trusting of the information he had been given.
During his family holiday in Morocco, Mr. Matheson and his wife were accompanied by their two sons. The bulk of the data charges were incurred on two specific days, which corresponded with major football matches. Despite this, Mr. Matheson denied any personal use of the iPad and claimed that he had received assurances from parliament officials regarding the mobile use.
However, he acknowledged that he should have taken precautions before the trip, especially after being warned about changing SIM cards to the new provider. He expressed frustration at not being able to determine the cause of the high charges and admitted that he and parliament officials were unable to establish how the costs had accumulated.
Ultimately, Mr. Matheson’s MSP office paid £3,000, while the parliament covered the remaining £8,000. It was only after the expenses were published and news reports about the exorbitant bill emerged that Mr. Matheson became aware of the full extent of the data usage by his family members.
In response to questions from Scottish Tory deputy leader Meghan Gallacher, Mr. Matheson explained that his son had helped set up the hotspot on the iPad, allowing the family to access the data during their holiday. He also disclosed that he had informed First Minister Humza Yousaf about his family’s use of the iPad data.
In conclusion, Mr. Matheson took full responsibility for the incident and expressed deep regret for the mistakes made by himself and his family. He acknowledged that he should have handled the situation more thoroughly and promptly reimbursed the parliament for the entire cost. The Health Secretary’s admission of fault and his commitment to rectify the situation demonstrate a willingness to be transparent and accountable for his actions.
This is a developing story, stay tuned for updates.