AN international anti-corruption body has recommended a cut in the value of gifts that MSPs can receive before they must be declared.

Gifts of just £280 would be liable for inclusion in the MSPs register of interests, half the current £570 value, following a recommendation by the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO).

MSPs could also be prosecuted for agreeing to receive inducements from lobbyists even if no inducement was actually received, under a new law proposed by a Holyrood standards watchdog to make Holyrood more transparent.

The Standards Procedures and Public Appointments Committee had considered removing the criminal offence of failing to declare an interest, insisting previous breaches had been "minor and inadvertent".

But it decided against it as this may be interpreted as MSPs not taking the current law seriously enough.

MSPs who breach parliamentary rules but do not break the law could have their salary docked, be excluded from Holyrood and be named and shamed.

Committee convener Stewart Stevenson said: "Our proposed bill will not only build on the existing robust regime, but will also streamline reporting for MSPs, ensuring all information about MSPs' financial interests is in one easily accessible place for the public.

"We have also suggested broadening the definition of paid advocacy. Whilst no MSP has ever been found to have breached the current rules, the committee is clear of the gravity with which paid advocacy should be treated.

"This is why our committee is proposing an expansion to the scope of the criminal offence."

The committee's report stated the GRECO recommendation was to lower the threshold for registering gifts to 0.5 per cent of a member's salary rounded down to the nearest £10.