What was Michael Matheson actually doing ?

[Molotov]

1 minute ago, superbigal said:

Be quite interesting to know the actual IT rules for Gov officials.

That depends on “who” breaks them!  

In this day and age anyone using business equipment for regular personal use is taking a risk as most contractual policies won’t cover them. 

[alta-pete]

Watching the fitba...

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23926144.scottish-parliament-publishes-mathesons-11k-data-roaming-bill/

Spoiler

Updated

Scottish Parliament publishes Matheson's £11k data roaming bill

1 hr ago

Michael Matheson

Politics

By Andrew Learmonth

@andrewlearmonth Journalist

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16 Comments

 

Health secretary Michael Matheson in Holyrood (Image: Ken Jack)

 

 

 

Humza Yousaf has attempted to draw a line under the row over Michael Matheson's £11,000 data roaming bill, insisting that for him "the matter is now closed."

However, The First Minister's assertion came as the Scottish Parliament published the full billing it holds for data charges incurred by the minister during his holiday to Morocco.

The EE statement suggests that the minister's £10,935.74 bill was for using roughly 7GB of data between December 28 and January 3. 

The bill does not reveal the websites visited or the apps used.

The breakdown shows Mr Matheson incurred the highest charges on December 28, where 1.26 GB of data cost £2,249.17, and January 2, where 3.89GB of data cost £8666.39. 

READ MORE: Matheson urged to hand over iPad to Holyrood for browser to be checked

Mr Matheson has always insisted the costs related “solely to parliamentary and constituency-related work” that he carried out during the trip.

However, there are questions over what amount of work he was doing to use so much of data.

According to EE, sending 175 emails every day for a month would use 2GB.

Using twice that in a day, as he did on January 2, would be more in line with streaming films or TV shows or football matches.

One Tory MSP pointed out that Celtic were playing on the two days with the most data used.

"The 28th Dec and the 2nd Jan, are both notable for significant football matches: Hibs v Celtic and Celtic v Rangers. A coincidence? We need the full truth," Stephen Kerr wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

 

[HibeeJibee]

They've now had to release the itemised billing and plot certainly thickens... He was billed absolutely nothing on Friday 30th December and (in comparison) modest amounts other days such as £20 on Saturday 31st December or £6 on Tuesday 3rd January.

However on Wednesday 28th December, and Monday 2nd January which was a public holiday, he used racked up about £10k of bills having used over 4GB of data.

Both days happen to have included OF football games.

[welshbairn]

14 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

They've now had to release the itemised billing and plot certainly thickens... He was billed absolutely nothing on Friday 30th December and (in comparison) modest amounts other days such as £20 on Saturday 31st December or £6 on Tuesday 3rd January.

However on Wednesday 28th December, and Monday 2nd January which was a public holiday, he used racked up about £10k of bills having used over 4GB of data.

Both days happen to have included OF football games.

Oooft.. 

On 09/11/2023 at 15:57, welshbairn said:

Streaming or Zooming at £6 per MB would quickly add up. I worked out in 2015 that streaming a football game in Georgia would have cost me over £3000. The question is why he didn't bother using WiFi, presumably he didn't bother at home either.

 

[sophia]

2 hours ago, alta-pete said:

Watching the fitba...

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23926144.scottish-parliament-publishes-mathesons-11k-data-roaming-bill/

  Reveal hidden contents

Updated

Scottish Parliament publishes Matheson's £11k data roaming bill

1 hr ago

Michael Matheson

Politics

By Andrew Learmonth

@andrewlearmonth Journalist

Share

16 Comments

 

Health secretary Michael Matheson in Holyrood (Image: Ken Jack)

 

 

 

Humza Yousaf has attempted to draw a line under the row over Michael Matheson's £11,000 data roaming bill, insisting that for him "the matter is now closed."

However, The First Minister's assertion came as the Scottish Parliament published the full billing it holds for data charges incurred by the minister during his holiday to Morocco.

The EE statement suggests that the minister's £10,935.74 bill was for using roughly 7GB of data between December 28 and January 3. 

The bill does not reveal the websites visited or the apps used.

The breakdown shows Mr Matheson incurred the highest charges on December 28, where 1.26 GB of data cost £2,249.17, and January 2, where 3.89GB of data cost £8666.39. 

READ MORE: Matheson urged to hand over iPad to Holyrood for browser to be checked

Mr Matheson has always insisted the costs related “solely to parliamentary and constituency-related work” that he carried out during the trip.

However, there are questions over what amount of work he was doing to use so much of data.

According to EE, sending 175 emails every day for a month would use 2GB.

Using twice that in a day, as he did on January 2, would be more in line with streaming films or TV shows or football matches.

One Tory MSP pointed out that Celtic were playing on the two days with the most data used.

"The 28th Dec and the 2nd Jan, are both notable for significant football matches: Hibs v Celtic and Celtic v Rangers. A coincidence? We need the full truth," Stephen Kerr wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

 

If that's the case then this is a muddle that turned into a fiddle and he should resign.

 

[scottsdad]

He was on the Giorgio Grandi sites. 

[Empty It]

Didn't realise he was a Sellick fan, get him binned.

[D Angelo Barksdale]

Only there to watch the Hibs imo.

Spoiler

Daft c**t

 

[Old Pack]

This lying clown should resign  asap.

[D Angelo Barksdale]

The real crime here is that no pubs in Morocco were showing the Greatest Derby In The World .

Do they not know that the whole world stops to watch ?

[Aufc]

Clearly been watching the football. How thick can someone be not to realise there would be huge costs if not watching it on wifi. This person is in a position of responsibility for government. Madness. 
 

He also clearly thought he could expense whatever the f**k he wanted and get away with it. It basically highlights that almost every MP/SMP don’t give a f**k and are just part of the gravy train. Most of them get into these positions with no real experience. Absolute clowns

[Suspect Device]

10 hours ago, Empty It said:

Didn't realise he was a Sellick fan, get him binned.

Came on to say this.

 

I can take politicians lying about about most things but lying about what team you support is beyond the pale.

Partick Thistle fan, my arse.

[superbigal]

So if it is established it was not for parliamentary business. 

Shoogly peg time ?

When Humsa gave his 100% support was that to Celtic or Michael ?

May be more misleading comments.

[Self-raising Lazarus]

On 14/11/2023 at 18:20, Trogdor said:

I'm no apologist for the SNP, but this is becoming tiresome. MM has been shamed into paying it himself (eventually) as it was his error. Case closed for me.

Still of this opinion?

[ICTChris]

42 minutes ago, superbigal said:

So if it is established it was not for parliamentary business. 

Shoogly peg time ?

When Humsa gave his 100% support was that to Celtic or Michael ?

May be more misleading comments.

If he didn't use it in the manner he said he did then he lied about his usage and should resign.  In fact, Yusuf should fire him for lying to him.

[HibeeJibee]

2 hours ago, Aufc said:

Clearly been watching the football. How thick can someone be not to realise there would be huge costs if not watching it on wifi. This person is in a position of responsibility for government. Madness.

He also clearly thought he could expense whatever the f**k he wanted and get away with it.

 

45 minutes ago, superbigal said:

So if it is established it was not for parliamentary business. Shoogly peg time ?

When Humsa gave his 100% support was that to Celtic or Michael ? May be more misleading comments.

 

2 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

If he didn't use it in the manner he said he did then he lied about his usage and should resign.  In fact, Yusuf should fire him for lying to him.

If it's proven or he admits it wasn't for constituency business he will have to resign. Right up to now he has maintained it was... right up to last week he wanted the public purse to pay, and for a brief time both he and FM even felt that payment was reasonable despite the circumstances or amount.

It remains to be seen how to prove he didn't use it for constituency business... so far he's refused having its browsing history checked (though in the circumstances that refusal itself brings his story into doubt - as it would be a simple way of clearing up the matter).

[Crazy Days]

54 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

 In fact, Yusuf should fire him for lying to him.

Zero chance of that happening.

[Michael W]

It's pretty clear he's lied about this. He should be sacked, never mind being given the opportunity to resign. 

Even if this genuinely was constituency business, does he really think a bill of £11k is acceptable? Or is he a total luddite that doesn't know how to switch the WiFi or disable Internet connectivity whilst roaming? 

[HibeeJibee]

Just now, Michael W said:

It's pretty clear he's lied about this. He should be sacked, never mind being given the opportunity to resign. 

Even if this genuinely was constituency business, does he really think a bill of £11k is acceptable? Or is he a total luddite that doesn't know how to switch the WiFi or disable Internet connectivity whilst roaming? 

It may well never have occurred to him. He's an occupational therapist who entered politics about 30yrs ago... he's been an MSP for a quarter of a century, and a minister for over a decade. You can envisage scenarios where sorting his tech is somebody else's banal job - provided it works Mick's happy; you can envisage scenarios where he uses his parliamentary / ministry kit for other stuff too (many people do); you can certainly envisage scenarios where he goes to North Africa on holiday but never crosses his mind that his viewing will cause charges - or at least charges big enough not to simply be waved through.

What tripped him up was expecting the public purse to cover his not knowing, or caring; what may yet bring a fall is whatever he was viewing in the first place.

[Rugster]