Former SNP health secretary Michael Matheson has been warned against accepting £12,000 which he is entitled to following his resignation.
Matheson resigned after he was slapped with an £11,000 data roaming bill that his children helped run up on his work tablet while on a family holiday.
While he at first denied the charges were relating to non-official business, he later admitted the charges were caused in part by his children watching football matches on the device.
In a resignation letter to Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf on Friday, Matheson said: "I have still not received the findings of the review, however, it is in the best interest of myself and the government for me to now step down to ensure this does not become a distraction."
Former SNP health secretary Michael Matheson has been warned against accepting £12,000 which he is entitled to following his resignation
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Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross said the public would be "outraged" if he took the £12,000.
He said: "I do welcome him finally doing the right thing and resigining. He should have done it much earlier. He now has to make it very clear that he won't accept the £12,000 that he would potentially get from resigning from Government.
"I think people woul be outraged to see someone resigning in such disgrace getting that money.
"And there are some reports today that there was new information in that report that we haven't seen yet. That must be made public.
"There are serious questions for Michael Matheson still to answer as an MSP and for the SNP to answer.
"Why did they let this disgraced minister continue in office for so long?"
Matheson had initially agreed to claim £3,000 of the bill as part of his expenses allowance, while his office provision paid the rest – meaning the public purse covered the bill in full.
However, he later agreed to cover the cost himself, and admitted the fees were the result of his teenage sons using his parliamentary iPad as a hotspot to watch football.
The 53-year-old MSP said it was a "privilege" to have served in the position.
In November, First Minister Humza Yousaf said he was not misled by Matheson, but added that the minister "should have handled the situation better", defending him as a "man of integrity."
With the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body conducting an investigation, Matheson said he was "conscious that this process will conclude in the coming weeks."
In November, First Minister Humza Yousaf said he was not misled by Matheson
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In a letter to the First Minister, Matheson said: "It is in the best interests of myself and the Government for me now to step down to ensure that this does not become a distraction to taking forward the Government’s agenda."
He continued: "Throughout my time in office, I have been supported by dedicated civil servants without whom it would be impossible to do my job. I would like to thank them for their guidance and support during my time in Government.
"I am enormously grateful to you for appointing me as Health Secretary and for the support that you have given me throughout the last year, it has meant a great deal to both me and my family."
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Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "While I welcome the news that Michael Matheson has finally gone, the fact is the First Minister has big questions to answer over his lack of judgment.
"While our NHS is in crisis, Humza Yousaf has shown his weakness by putting the SNP before our NHS.
“Now more than ever we need a health minister focused on the crisis at hand. It’s clear that the First Minister has no plan to save our NHS and that shuffling the SNP deckchairs will make no difference – it’s time for change."
