New figures reveal that Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden has racked up yet another hefty bill for taxpayers this month, with further costs running into the thousands.
The SNP has demanded that Lumsden apologise for his excessive spending and clarify whether AI was used to help him submit nearly 1,000 parliamentary questions last month, reportedly costing the public around £100,000.
When questioned about the revelations, Lumsden initially refused to deny using AI to draft the questions, which included bizarre enquiries about the height of flagpoles, jars of honey, and the cost of PAT testing Christmas decorations in Parliament.
He instead stated that he would “speak to my team about the volume and whether a written question is needed in every instance.”
Lumsden has since denied personally using AI but has refused to confirm whether a member of his team may have done so.
His total of 987 written questions last month made up almost half of all those submitted by MSPs, a staggering figure that could have cost taxpayers up to £100,000.
New figures show that in February alone, Lumsden has already lodged 170 questions, potentially adding another £17,000 to the taxpayer-funded bill.
SNP MSP George Adam has strongly criticised Lumsden’s actions, calling them a waste of public money and resources.
He stated that Lumsden must apologise for the excessive number of questions, many of which appear frivolous and unnecessary.
Adam also questioned how Lumsden has been able to submit such a large number of questions in a short period, pressing for clarity on whether his team utilised AI.
The SNP MSP accused the Tories of hypocrisy, highlighting their claims of being careful with public funds while Lumsden racks up significant costs for political point-scoring.
With Lumsden already responsible for a third of all questions submitted by MSPs this month, Adam warned that the Tory MSP has no intention of ending his costly approach anytime soon.
