The new chairwoman of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has backed the justice secretary after he intervened to stop the chief constable returning to work.

Susan Deacon offered her support to Michael Matheson after she was questioned over the affair by MSPs on Holyrood's justice committee on Tuesday.

Matheson called on the SPA to reconsider its decision to let chief constable Phil Gormley return to work, despite him being on special leave amid an investigation into alleged gross misconduct.

The justice secretary told MSPs earlier this month that then-SPA chairman Andrew Flanagan was unable to assure him during a one-to-one meeting that appropriate measures had been taken to allow Mr Gormley to return to his role.

Neither the body investigating Mr Gormley, the staff that are alleging the wrongdoing or the acting chief constable had been informed of his planned imminent return.

Following the meeting on November 9 last year, Flanagan decided to reverse the decision and Mr Gormley, who denies any wrongdoing, remains on special leave.

Deacon, a former Labour MSP and health secretary, told the committee that her predecessor handling of the affair had been found "wanting in many, many ways".

"I will just add since this is also a matter of some considerable debate that had I been in the cabinet secretary's shoes, and I have walked in these types of shoes in the past, then I would have asked questions about process as to how that decision had been made and personally I think the cabinet secretary would be failing in his duty had he not asked those questions," she said.

Acting chief constable Iain Livingstone also appeared before the committee.

Mr Livingstone said he was effectively was cut out of the decision-making process.

The senior police officer asked Mr Flanagan for an update on the SPA board's November 7 meeting and was told the following day that "deliberations were ongoing".

He said he was then told by Mr Flanagan on November 10 the SPA had taken the decision to extend Mr Gormley's leave.

"But I wasn't told actually that there had been a decision, a reconsideration and then another decision," he said.