News

From the end of Parliamentary Business tonight (Wednesday 25^th March), the Scottish Parliament enters the dissolution period prior to the upcoming elections on 7^th May. I was pleased to ask my final question in the chamber earlier today. 

During this time, all MSPs cease their roles. Office teams will be able to assist with urgent enquiries and continue to progress existing cases until the Parliament reconvenes for the next session following the election.

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve the Falkirk East constituency for the last five years and it is not without regret that I decided not to stand again.

I have met with many constituents on a broad range of issues, with caseworks statistics steadily increasing year on year. My team and I have dealt with almost 7,000 cases.

I have built relationships with businesses and charities across the constituency.

I thoroughly enjoyed each school visit, with our young learners often asking just as important questions as those asked in the chamber!

I have worked tirelessly endeavouring to create a sustainable future and job security for the Grangemouth cluster following business decisions taken by PetroIneos in recent years. For the last five years, I sat on several cross-party groups which I hope will continue in the next session, and I particularly enjoyed convening the CPGs on Women in Enterprise, Music and St Andrew’s Day. I was also the Vice-Convenor of the Economy & Fair Work Committee and sat on the Finance & Public Administration Committee - I am proud we were able to scrutinise Government spend and legislation from an economic perspective prior to Stage 3 decisions, and hold stakeholders to account.

I wish SNP constituency candidate, Martyn Day, all the best in his campaign and wish him well for the election, where he will continue to put the people of Scotland first.

This week, I was pleased to ask question at both the Ministerial Statement introducing the Scottish Budget 2026/27 and at General Questions. I welcome many of the proposed measures set out in the Budget statement, with additional funding for several sectors. You can also watch my question from General Questions in my previous post.

The Finance & Public Administration Committee discussed Scotland's national performing companies, taking evidence from the National Theatre of Scotland, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Ballet, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Scottish Opera. We also carried out Scrutiny of the 2026-27 Budget, taking evidence from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The Economy & Fair Work Committee discussed the draft Climate Change Plan with evidence from GMB Scotland, Future Economy Scotland, Unite the Union and the Scottish Trades Union Congress. We also discussed the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill at Stage 2 and looked at the Digital Assets (Scotland) Bill draft report ahead of the Stage 1 vote.

I also attended the Parliamentary exhibition on Public Diners, hosted by Nourish Scotland. Public diners were state-supported everyday eating places serving good food at affordable prices, reducing health inequalities. Around World War II there were 90 state-supported restaurants in Scotland, and while this initiative fizzled out in the years that followed, the first public diner in 60 years is due to open in Dundee this summer, with governments around the world investing in their own versions.

This week, the Finance & Public Administration Committee scrutinised the upcoming Budget 2026-27, taking evidence from the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, and the Scottish Parliament’s Chief Executive, Director of Finance and Resilience, and Head of Internal Audit.

The Economy & Fair Work Committee took evidence on the Draft Climate Change Plan from the Robert Gordon University Energy Transition Institute, Federation of Small Businesses, Food and Drink Federation Scotland, University of Strathclyde, and the Chemical Industries Association.

The Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill was introduced at Stage 1 this week. You can watch part of my contribution to this debate in my previous post. I also spoke in my parliamentary colleague Claire Baker’s Members’ Business debate on Non-Fatal Strangulation Laws and Intimate Partner Homicides, an issue I, alongside other MSPs, have continued to raise in the Scottish Parliament whenever possible.

I visited the Scottish Civil Justice Council exhibition stall within the Scottish Parliament.  Their campaign for Fair Civil Justice will be demonstrating how parliamentarians can improve the system of redress outside of the court system, protecting both consumers and businesses from the growing threat of predatory litigation and advocating for stronger safeguards.

My constituency office continues to experience issues with our phone lines, with my team working hard with technical professionals to resolve the complex issues. If you have an enquiry and need assistance, please call 0131 348 5082 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. until further notice.