MSPs who chair committees at Holyrood are to receive a £15,000 pay rise.

Presiding Officer Kenneth Gibson said committees were "at the heart" of holding the government to account, and that convening them came with significant extra demands.

Starting from next April they are to be given an extra payment equivalent to 20% of an MSP's annual salary of £77,000.

The proposal will be subject to a vote, because the parliament's salary scheme will need to be amended.

The change would cost the taxpayer £342,000 a year, based on this year's pay levels.

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) - a management body made up of six MSPs and chaired by the presiding officer - had asked parliament officials to look into a pay rise to recognise the "significant" extra responsibilities of committee conveners.

Gibson, in a letter to committee conveners, said: "Our committees really are at the heart of what we, as a parliament, do.

"Not only ensuring that the parliament holds the government to account, but that we are hearing from people across Scotland about the issues that matter to them."

The presiding officer, who is a former chair of Holyrood's finance committee, said he was "acutely aware" of the "additional demands that come with these positions".

He added that the report commissioned by the SPCB "concluded that the responsibilities, authority and accountability associated with the role warrant formal recognition within the parliament's salaries scheme".

The SPCB said the total cost - £342,000 - represented 0.23% of the parliament's annual budget.