MSP expenses paid by Scottish Parliament rose by 5.5% last year

The Scottish Parliament paid out £23.5m in expenses to MSPs last year, representing a 5.5% increase from 2021/22.

Expenses data for the 2022/23 financial year was published on Thursday and covers staff and office costs for elected representatives.

The most recent total expenditure was £23,467,953, an increase of more than £1.2m from the previous year’s data.

That incudes expenses paid to individual MSPs, which rose by 5.4% to £23,439,733 in 2022/23.

Meanwhile, the party leaders’ allowance more than doubled from the previous year to £28,220, up from £11,510 in 2021/22.

The increase puts the party leaders’ allowance in line with previous years, including 2020/21 where the expense totalled £38,778 in 2020/21 and £36,873 in 2019/20.

Staff salaries made up the bulk of the expense, with £19.1mcovering staff employment in MSP parliamentary and local offices, accounting for 81.6% of the total cost.

The remainder covers the cost of running the offices, travel and support for party leaders who are not in government, according to the figures.

Follow STV News on WhatsApp

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country