Tom Gordon

Scottish Political Editor

TAXPAYERS have been charged almost £30,000 to send Alex Salmond’s wife with him on official visits since the last election.

The travel bill for Moira Salmond included almost £25,000 for oversea flights.

Stops included Abu Dhabi, Chicago, Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Los Angeles, and New York.

The costs, which do not include accommodation, were justified on the basis that it was “clearly in the public interest” that she should accompany her husband.

However the publicity-shy Mrs Salmond never gives interviews and has little public profile.

The bill was 176 times more than the only other claim for a minister’s wife.

Under the Scottish Ministerial Code, the travel expenses of a spouse or partner accompanying a minister on official duties, “may occasionally be paid from public funds, provided that it is clearly in the public interest that he or she should accompany the minister”.

The First Minister must give advance written agreement for every trip.

Using Freedom of Information, the Sunday Herald obtained a list of every time taxpayers met the travel costs of a minister’s other half since 2011.

It emerged only two ministers were involved: Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland and Salmond.

Mrs Mulholland’s bill for £160 was for one return trip between Edinburgh and London in 2012 for an event held by the Queen for the diplomatic corps.

All 23 others trips all related to Mrs Salmond - 13 domestic journeys cost a total of £4033, while ten foreign trips cost £24,234.

In a statement accompanying the FoI response, the Scottish Government said: “During many of the official engagements undertaken by the former First Minister, Mrs Salmond undertook engagements in support of the Scottish Government and the First Minister.”

The Government cited last year’s Scotland Week in New York when Mrs Salmond met a director of Carnegie Hall, Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, and went on a fact-finding visit to a “community-led project combining regeneration and conservation”. However this is the sole mention of Mrs Salmond’s overseas activity on the entire Government website.

A Scottish Labour source said: “We already knew Alex Salmond's expenses bill was sky high, but it looks like he has used these rules at great expense to the taxpayer.

“The Scottish Government needs to remember it is spending taxpayers' money and every penny should be spent to benefit people across Scotland."