TORY MSP Jackson Carlaw has breached the MSP Code of Conduct after failing to accurately declare a paid trip to Israel funded by the Israeli Embassy in the UK.
The former acting Scottish Tory leader did not declare the £2200 cost of the trip at the start of a committee meeting on a petition which considered providing learning resources in Israel and Palestine.
The Standards Committee described the breach as a "serious matter" but stated it will take no further action.
The committee unanimously concluded Carlaw "did not fully recognise or understand the requirement to declare a relevant financial interest in advance of proceedings relating to that matter".
The Eastwood MSP declared an interest at the beginning of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee in October 2021 as the convener of the cross-party group on Building Bridges with Israel in the previous parliamentary session, but this did not refer to the cost of his trip.
A statement from the Standards Committee said: "The committee has carefully considered the commissioner’s report on the complaint that Jackson Carlaw MSP failed to declare a registered financial interest prior to the commencement of scrutiny of Public Petition PE1879 by the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee on October 6 2021.
"The committee is unanimous in the conclusions and decision reached.
"The committee notes that Jackson Carlaw MSP declared an interest at the beginning of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee on 6 October 2021 as the Convener of the Cross-Party Group on Building Bridges with Israel in the previous parliamentary session.
"However, the declaration did not refer to the financial interest in the Member’s register which was the £2200 cost of an overseas visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories funded by the Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom.
"It would therefore appear that Jackson Carlaw MSP did not fully recognise or understand the requirement to declare a relevant financial interest in advance of proceedings relating to that matter.
"The steps taken by Jackson Carlaw MSP did not meet the requirements of the Interests of the Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006 and the Code of Conduct for MSPs in relation to the declaration of registrable financial interests.
"For this reason, the Committee must conclude that Jackson Carlaw MSP breached Section 13(1) of the 2006 Act and Section 2, paragraphs 6-8 of the Code of Conduct for MSPs.
"The committee, therefore, agrees with the commissioner’s findings in fact and conclusion that Jackson Carlaw’s conduct in not declaring a financial interest breached the 2006 Act and the Code.
"A finding of a breach of the 2006 Act and the Code of Conduct is a serious matter. Acknowledging the efforts made by Jackson Carlaw MSP to act with propriety, the committee is of the view that its agreement with the commissioner on the finding of a breach is sanction enough."
The committee said Carlaw removed himself entirely from consideration of the petition and from any determination and that he cast no vote and "advised the petition in the usual way and in terms drafted by committee clerks" and added it was "unlikely he intentionally withheld information about the overseas visit".
