SNP ministers silent after being urged to defend pay rise
SNP ministers sat in silence after being challenged to defend their bumper £20,000 pay rises during a Holyrood debate.
Former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross urged Nats rivals to explain why they deserve the inflation-busting salary increase after First Minister John Swinney's decision to lift a long-standing pay freeze.
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Scottish Tory MSP Douglas Ross challenged SNP ministers to respond.
Credit: Alamy
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SNP leader John Swinney decided to lift the ministerial pay freeze.
The MSP raised the issue during a government debate titled, 'the international situation', with Mr Ross arguing that the parliamentary time should instead have been used to discuss issues relevant to Scotland.
And he pointed to the £19,126 extra cash that will be received by SNP ministers from this month as an alternative topic of discussion, as he called on those present on the frontbench, including Mr Swinney, to intervene on him in order to provide a response.
Mr Ross said: 'Can any of the ministers on the frontbench say that they deserve and have earned their £20,000 increase?'
The former Scots Tory boss then stood silently as he waited for an intervention to be made by any of the SNP ministers including Connectivity Minister Jim Fairlie and Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson.
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He added: 'I'm just going to stand here and wait. If any of these highly paid Scottish government ministers can defend their £20,000 pay increase to the public, tell us now.'
The Scottish Tory MSP was again met with silence, before deputy Presiding Officer Liam McArthur asked him to return to the topic of the debate.
Mr Ross said: 'I'm making the plea again. Come on! If Mr Swinney believes that they deserve that funding, that increase of £20,000, I'll give way to the First Minister.
"I'll give way to the Cabinet Secretary, I'll give way to Angus Robertson or Jim Fairlie. Can no Scottish government minister defend it?
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'And maybe that's why we're debating this international debate today, maybe this is why the topic chosen by the SNP government is one that they are not in charge of because they cannot answer simple questions about the area of their responsibility.
'And I think the people of Scotland can see that because they can see this is a government who take them for granted, who provide massive pay rises for their ministers and can't even hold themselves to account.'
Kenny MacAskill blasted over SNP - Crown Office comments
Former SNP leader Alex Salmond introduced the pay freeze in 2009 amid the global financial crisis.
But as it has been scrapped the party's ministers will receive £19,126 extra from this month.
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Junior Nats ministers will earn £100,575 and cabinet secretaries will bank £116,125 per year.
Ministers have government and MSP parts to their salary and it is the latter that is increasing.
Despite the pay rise for his ministers, Mr Swinney previously stated that he will decline the uplift.
He said: "I've reflected on my own position - so that people don't think I've taken a decision that will benefit me personally - I will leave my salary as an MSP and ministerial frozen."
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