By Steve Bargeton, political editor

FIRST MINISTER Jack McConnell is to make a personal donation to help families affected by the collapse of Christmas savings company Farepak.

Yesterday MSPs were urged to give a day’s pay to the Farepak Response Fund.

Mr McConnell’s official spokesman said that the First Minister would make a donation as a personal gesture, but declined to say how much.

“This is not a cabinet decision,” he said.

“The First Minister understands that some of his colleagues might do the same thing. His view is that it is for individual ministers to do their own thing.”

The collapse of Farepak will be debated by MSPs next Wednesday.

Yesterday Labour MSP Elaine Murray submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament highlighting issue.

She also criticised Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS), which has been blamed by Farepak managing director Nick Gilodi-Johnson for the collapse, for contributing “a paltry” £2m to the fund.

More than 150,000 customers lost an average of £400 each when the company went into administration in October.

MSPs’ postbags have been full of complaints about the Farepak collapse and the response to it.

“I have been contacted by constituents—mainly women in part time or low paid employment—who invested with Farepak with the purpose of saving to provide their children and grandchildren with a decent Christmas,” said Dr Murray.

“These are hard working, prudent people, who prefer to save rather than take out a loan or use a credit card, who do not know how to explain to their children that Santa won’t be coming this year.”

The Department of Trade and Industry has launched an investigation into what happened at Farepak.