Neil Gray must ‘explain the facts’ on ministerial car use for football matches

Neil Gray has been urged to “explain the full facts” behind his use of ministerial cars to attend four football games.

The health secretary declared four publicly-funded car trips to Aberdeen matches – the team he supports – claiming official meetings took place each time he attended.

Gray attended the matches as a guest of the Scottish Football Association.

But the Scottish Conservatives said the use of chauffeured cars raised questions about taxpayer money.

Deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “Nationalist politicians are the first to cry foul but the last to accept they’ve done anything wrong.

“The SNP hammered Labour politicians for accepting donations for high-end clothes and all sorts of gifts, yet they don’t say much when it’s one of their own.

“Neil Gray must explain the full facts of what he’s done to the Scottish Parliament and let the public judge for themselves.

“People deserve transparency or they will lose even more trust in SNP politicians.”

Politicians are permitted to make personal statements to the parliament, subject to the approval of the presiding officer.

Michael Matheson, the former health secretary, made one such statement relating to his expensing of data roaming charges.

Matheson resigned three months later, after which Gray was moved to health.

In the Scottish Government’s ministerial engagements, travel and gifts register, two of Gray’s visits were listed as meetings about the “social impact” of investment in sport and two were simply registered as “sport”.

Two of the matches took place when Gray was the economy, fair work and energy secretary, while two have been since he moved to the health portfolio. As health secretary, sport falls under his brief.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said that all travel costs were “in accordance with travel and subsistence policies”.

The spokesperson added: “Ministers are invited to a range of engagements and attend select events in an official capacity, details of which we publish proactively. This is an essential part of government business that allows ministers to engage and build relationships with key stakeholders and to help promote Scotland as a place to visit, work and invest in.”

Other ministers have also made use of ministerial cars to attend sporting events. Rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon was chauffeured to a rugby match at Murrayfield, community safety minister Siobhian Brown went to a football match at Hampden, and employment minister Tom Arthur was at a Scottish Cup final at Hampden.