Written questions and motions put forward by MSPs cost taxpayers around £115,000 last year.

MSPs lodged 4024 motions at the Scottish Parliament ranging from condemning the shrinking size of Toblerones to expressing the parliament's condolences to victims of terrorism.

Parliamentary authorities estimate the cost of a motion between £5 and £6, meaning taxpayers had to foot a £24,000 bill.

Separately the country's politicians lodged 7605 written questions to ministers, costing the public purse around £91,000.

Written questions cost between £11 and £12 to process through Holyrood's procedures.

Costs are incurred through parliamentary staff having to check the "admissibility and compliance" of these with parliament's rules.

According to Holyrood's standing orders, MSPs cannot lodge motions which are not in English, contain offensive language or are contrary to the public interest.

Motions must also not be in relation to ongoing legal proceedings.

MSPs routinely use the system to congratulate the achievements of their constituents, such as Shetland MSP Tavish Scott congratulating a teenage constituent for wining the sixth Inksters Shetland Junior Chess Championship.

A Scottish Parliamentary spokeswoman said: "Motions are raised by MSPs to initiate debate at the Scottish Parliament; to propose legislation is agreed to or passed, or simply to highlight and generate support for an issue. The cost of processing a motion is usually between £5 and £6."

She added: "Parliamentary questions are an important means of holding the Scottish Government to account. The average current cost of processing a Question is usually between £11 and £12."