MSPS struggling under an "explosion" of casework will be able to hire an extra member of staff under plans put forward in Holyrood.

The cross-party Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) said it intends to increase the "staff cost provision" from the start of the next parliamentary session.

This will see the provision for each MSP rise from £93,900 to £129,700 to cover the cost of an additional full-time position. 

MSPs do not receive this money and it can only be used for the employment of staff.

It would mean MSPs could employ a fourth full-time member of staff if they deemed it necessary.

It comes after a review found some MSP's offices are currently seeing between 15 and 20 new cases coming in every day. 

This has resulted in staff in some constituency offices "often working 10 or 12 hour days".

In a letter to MSPs, Holyrood's Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh said there is "clear evidence of an increased pressure on members’ staff cost provision".

He said: "This pressure is primarily attributable to rapidly rising case work demands on members’ offices during this parliamentary session – or as one respondent put it an 'explosion' of casework - with some offices now seeing between 15 and 20 new cases every day."

He added: "To that end, you will see the SPCB has recommended an increase in the staff cost provision commensurate with one full-time equivalent post, with the caseworker role and its associated pay scale being the best basis for calculating the uplift.

"Having discussed the proposals with each of the party leaders at Holyrood, the SPCB has included provision for the uplift in its 2021/22 budget bid to the Finance and Constitution Committee. 

"The recommendations in the report will also need the approval of Parliament via a resolution."