Two-job politicians to donate MSP salaries to charity

Cathy Jamieson and Margaret Curran, the two sitting Labour MSPs who were elected toWestminster last week, have said they will donate their Scottish Parliament salaries to charity.

Jamieson takes over the Kilmarnock and Loudon constituency vacated by Des Browne while Curran recaptured Glasgow East from the SNP’s John Mason.

Both will receive only one third of their MSP salaries while they sit as constituency members until next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.

Jamieson said: “The situation is that the MPs salary is paid to us, we receive a third of the MSP salary which I have met with parliamentary authorities today and I am making arrangements to use the give as you earn scheme to donate that to two charities, one is Who Cares Scotland and the other one is Combat Stress. The money I get from the MSPs salary will go straight to the two charities.”

Combat Stress has its major facility at Hollybush House within Jamieson’s electorate. It is also the East Ayrshire Council’s provost charity of the year.

At the time of writing, Curran had yet to confirm which charitable organisations she would be donating her salary to, but a spokesperson confirmed she would be directing the funds to two Glasgow-based charities.

The move by the Labour pair follows First Minister Alex Salmond’s decision to donate his Holyrood pay to a local charity. A spokesman for Salmond said: “Mr Salmond donated his gross Holyrood salary to a charitable trust to support youth and community causes in the North East of Scotland.  He is the first parliamentarian ever to do so, and this has resulted in over £50,000 of support to the Trust so far, benefiting over 70 local groups.

“On the First Minister’s current salary, it has been frozen at the April 2008 level, and will remain so through 2010/11 (as is the case for all Scottish Government ministers).  As said, Alex Salmond gives his gross MSP salary to the charitable trust (over £50,000 so far), plus last year’s MP pay rise.”