Jack McConnell has ordered a review of one of the most lucrative of MSP allowances amid concerns that people are cashing in on the capital's property boom.
The first minister yesterday asked the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to review the controversial Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance, which allows MSPs who live more than 90 minutes from Edinburgh to claim up to £10,600 a year for a mortgage on a second home.
Around 50 MSPs are thought to have taken advantage of the scheme since devolution, and some are believed to have sold on their homes for large profits.
Mr McConnell's move came after sustained pressure from Tommy Sheridan, the Scottish Socialist MSP for Glasgow, who branded the allowance "a property gravy train for well-paid MSPs".
Mr Sheridan this week failed to force MSPs to disclose how much they made selling homes bought in part with public funds by amending a new bill defining the register of members' interests.
The Herald
