It has emerged Labour MSP David Stewart was 6,018 miles away in Taiwan at the same time as his fellow Highlands and Islands list MSP Rhoda Grant was on a Scottish Parliament-funded trip Down Under.

They cover the same constituency and share an office in Inverness along with Labour's third list MSP Peter Peacock.

Both Mr Stewart and Mrs Grant were asked by the Highland News for details of their trips and about the appropriateness of their timing given the economic hardship faced by many due to the recession and the current furore over Westminster MPs' expenses. They were also asked if they believed their long-haul trips at the same time would be viewed by the public as junkets.

Mr Stewart – whose wife travelled with him economy class – stressed his trip to Taiwan cost the Scottish taxpayer nothing and informed the HN that the Taiwan government covered all costs.

According to Mr Stewart, the trip across the other side of the world was an opportunity to promote the Highlands and Islands as a place to study and also to promote good trade relations and lobby on behalf of the whisky industry.

He said: "This trip was arranged by the Taiwanese Government, at no cost to Scottish taxpayers. These visits are hugely important for forging international links for Scotland and the ideal opportunity to promote not only Scottish trade, but also the prospect of the University of the Highlands and Islands as a learning institute.

"This cross-party trip, involving SNP, Liberal Democrat and Conservative members of Parliament, took place during the recess period.

"Taiwan is the fifth largest importer of Scotch whisky so before I went I had a briefing from representatives of the Scotch Whisky Association and distillers. Since my return I have updated them with contacts and information which I hope will generate business."

He added: "Already, government ministers in Taiwan have indicated their interest in inward investment for Scotland and I have promoted what Inverness and the wider Highlands have to offer. Next month, I am meeting Taiwanese officials in Edinburgh to try and progress this and will continue to press the Highland case for hosting new developments, which could boost jobs at a crucial time. If we can bring one more job or student to the Highlands and Islands as a result of this trip, then the visit will be worthwhile."

The news of his trip came as Labour MSP Rhoda Grant flew back to Inverness at the weekend. The Scottish Parliament had set aside a budget of £40,000 for the delegation.

Travelling from Perth in Western Australia to Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, then down to Auckland, Dunedin and Wellington, Mrs Grant and four other cross-party MSPs from other parts of Scotland embarked on the trip "to promote the work of the Scottish Parliament in its first 10 years as well as looking to learn from counterparts from more established parliaments", according to the official Scottish Parliament website.

Mrs Grant told the HN she flew business class to Australia and all internal flights were undertaken on standard class. Her husband was not present on the trip.

She said: "The visit has been extremely informative and we are grateful to the Australian and New Zealand Parliaments for inviting us. We undertook a packed programme of focused meetings to make sure we got the best out of our time.

"The whole delegation agrees this has been a very productive visit and has generated new ideas about how we might evolve as a parliament. We will report back to parliament covering our findings including items on engagement, minority languages and minority and coalition governments."

She added: "The visit took place during the parliamentary recess, so there was no disruption to the Scottish parliamentary process. There is huge potential for the Highlands and Islands to learn from Australia and New Zealand in how they deal with remote and rural communities and develop minority languages. I look forward to being able to present these findings to the Parliament."

But local political opponents warned foreign trips should be embarked on with great care, given the economic climate.

SNP MSP Dave Thompson said: "I think the Scottish Parliament has to have links with other countries across the world if you want to learn from their status. But I do think that parliamentarians have to be very careful about what trips they take, especially at the public expense.

"We have a duty to spend taxpayers' money wisely, and not just in economic hard times. I think parliamentarians have to be very careful about trips they take outwith Scotland and they have to make sure they are good value for money."

Lib Dem MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Danny Alexander, said: "All politicians have to be particularly careful with public money and need to make sure there is a genuine purpose to what they are doing and it is beneficial to the taxpayer.

"In the past there may have been a culture of foreign travel, and obviously with today's circumstances that needs to be overturned. There are genuine trips which do offer benefits to the country, and these should be taken, provided it is done at a reasonable cost."

j.macculloch@highland-news.co.uk

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