Dunfermline MSP Helen Eadie has accusations she has been abusing Scottish parliamentary expenses by receiving rent from her aide.
It is understood concerns had been raised after it was discovered Mrs Eadie let out a flat in Leith, Edinburgh, to her researcher Ellie Casson.
The rules concerning “heritable” property state MSPs must register such property “which yields a gross income — for example from rent,” in the 12 months prior to the “relevant date.”
The Scottish Parliament has determined that gross income above £0 should be registered — in effect, any rental income from heritable property.
The “relevant” date can be the date of purchase of a property, or alternatively the date of sale.
Mrs Eadie’s current register of interests on her parliamentary website state that she owns a commercial property in Fife that she uses as her parliamentary office.
Mrs Eadie, who lives in Dalgety Bay, confirmed she would now be declaring the property on her register of interests.
However, she rejected claims of parliamentary allowance abuse on her part, and said she stayed at the Edinburgh flat when on parliamentary duties in the capital.
“I have never taken a penny in rent or any mortgage costs from the public purse for either my office in Inverkeithing or the flat in Edinburgh,” she told The Courier.
“As well as saving the taxpayer thousands of pounds, it has meant that I have been able to do my parliamentary duty and have the option of being able to stay in Edinburgh when required.”
She continued, “My parliamentary aide moved into the flat when she and her boyfriend were struggling to find affordable accommodation, but the arrangement leaves me a room in the flat that I use when parliamentary duty dictates.
“I have now amended my entry in the register of interests.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Labour Party said, “Helen Eadie has done nothing wrong in this instance as there is no public money involved.”
A spokesman for the parliament could not say if the matter would be passed to the standards commissioner.
“We can’t comment on whether a matter is, or has been referred to the standards commissioner,” he said.
“In all cases, if a complaint is made, the independent commissioner would first establish whether the complaint is admissible and then whether there may be basis to it.”
He added, “It’s only in cases where the commissioner determines that there may be some basis to the complaint that the matter proceeds beyond that.”
Helen Eadie became Dunfermline East MSP in 1999.
She previously worked for her father-in-law and Harry Ewing at Westminster, and was on James Callaghan’s general election campaign team.