Alex Salmond spends £370,000 on entertaining It overlaps with a period when he was also MP for Banff and Buchan and claiming up to £400 per month for food on his Commons expenses, even though he was rarely in London. Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, said it was clearly in the public interest the figures be released. She said: "Here we have more evidence of a Scottish Government supposedly committed to transparency doing all it can to cover up uncomfortable truths. At a time when individuals and companies across Scotland are tightening their belts, Alex Salmond should consider if spending £1,800 of public money every week in this way is the best use of funds. Paul Martin, Scottish Labour's business manager, said: "No wonder they tried to keep it secret. Every household in the country has tightened its belt since the recession, but Alex Salmond's maxim seems to be carry on regardless when he is spending taxpayers' cash on his own entertaining. The figures, which have been adjusted for inflation, show Mr Salmond's office spent £70,920 on hospitality in the 2007/08 tax year, the first after he took office. This total increased 63 per cent the following year when it reached £115,542. The spending coincided with the collapse of Scotland's banks and the onset of the financial crisis. Although the cost fell slightly to £96,014 in 2009/10, this was still the equivalent of £1,846 per week. It was during this financial year that SNP minsters started campaigning against the UK Government cutting public spending. In 2010/11, the final tax year before the 2011 Holyrood elections, Mr Salmond spent a further £88,080 on hospitality. The total over the four years of £370,556 equates to £1,782 per week. Among those previously disclosed as having attended dinners hosted by the First Minister are his dentist and the owner of one of his favourite restaurants. He notoriously tried to shower Rupert Murdoch with hospitality, including theatre seats in New York and Ryder Cup tickets, but the media mogul rejected the offers. During the MPs" expenses scandal, the Daily Telegraph disclosed how Mr Salmond claimed hundreds of pounds for food without producing receipts, even when the Commons was not sitting. He claimed £1,751.50 for food using his MP expenses in 2007/08, his first year as First Minister, despite only voting on six days at Westminster. The Scottish Government last night said the hospitality costs compare favourably with those run up by Jack McConnell, Mr Salmond's predecessor as First Minister, who spent £120,921 during his final year in office. A spokesman said: "Spending on food and drink for events hosted by the First Minister has been cut by more than a quarter since 2006/07."