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Members of the Scottish Parliament (³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ)

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Ben Macpherson

Scottish National Party

MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith (Constituency) 2016 - present day

About Ben Macpherson

Contact details

Contact online

Website:

X (previously known as Twitter):

Facebook:

Contact at the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

Phone: 0131 600 0134
Text relay calls welcome.

Contact at local office

34 Constitution Street
Leith
Edinburgh
EH6 6RS

Phone: 0131 600 0134
Text relay calls welcome.

Find out when the MSP's surgery times are .

Committees

Ben is not a member of any committees

Cross-party groups

Ben is a member of 8 cross-party groups

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Brain Tumours

Deputy Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Europe

Deputy Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on France

Deputy Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Housing

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Malawi

Co-Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Medicinal Cannabis

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Poverty

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Ukraine

Member

Parliamentary and Government Roles

Ben has 1 parliamentary and government role

Conveners Group

Member

Party Roles

Ben does not have any party roles

Previous roles

Ben has had 17 previous roles

Previous roles in cross-party groups are not included in this list.

05 December 2024 - 12 December 2024

Member

05 September 2023 - 11 September 2024

Deputy Convener

05 September 2023 - 17 June 2024

Member

29 June 2023 - 05 September 2023

Member

26 April 2023 - 05 September 2023

Deputy Convener

18 April 2023 - 29 June 2023

Member

18 April 2023 - 29 June 2023

Substitute Member

18 April 2023 - 26 April 2023

Member

19 May 2021 - 29 March 2023

Minister for Social Security and Local Government

Scottish Government

21 December 2020 - 19 May 2021

Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment

Scottish Government

17 February 2020 - 21 December 2020

Minister for Public Finance and Migration

Scottish Government

28 June 2018 - 17 February 2020

Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development

Scottish Government

14 June 2016 - 28 June 2018

Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the Office of the First Minister

Scottish Government

14 June 2016 - 28 June 2018

Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the First Minister

Scottish Government

06 October 2016 - 28 June 2018

Member

08 June 2016 - 28 June 2018

Member

08 June 2016 - 28 June 2018

Member

Register of interests

Ben's register of interests

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ must provide details of their financial interests in the Register of Interests. They make an initial statement on becoming or being returned as an MSP. This is then updated with any changes they provide.

Here is the register for Ben Macpherson. The date of their initial statement was 24 May 2021.

Remuneration and related undertaking

No registrable interests

Gifts

On 4 February 2017 myself and a guest attended the Scotland v Ireland match at Murrayfield as hospitality guests of BT Scotland (a telecommunications company of BT Group plc, BT Centre, 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ). The combined value of the two tickets was £1390 + VAT.

Overseas visits

From 3 to 25 February 2024 I visited the United States of America as a participant in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. I participated in this particular three week professional exchange program with a range of other participants from Europe and Asia, considering various global challenges. The costs of travel, accommodation, meals and other occasional expenses were $9,284 USD (equivalent to £7339, at the closing exchange rate on 29 February 2024) and were met by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State (of 2201 C St., NW Washington, DC 20520, United States of America), an organisation that aims to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through exchange programmes. [Registered 29 February 2024]

Controlled transactions

No registrable interests

Heritable property

No registrable interests

Interest in shares

No registrable interests

Voluntary

I am registered on the roll of Scottish Solicitors.

[Ceased interest removed from entry: 16 May 2024]

Recent Activity

What was said

What Ben Macpherson has said in Parliament

These are the official transcripts of what was said by this MSP in the chamber and at committee meetings. You'll find the topic discussed and how many times this MSP has contributed to the discussion.

Chamber meeting date: 23 April 2025

Gang-related Crime

8. Ben Macpherson (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP): "To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with partners to tackle gang-related crime. (S6O-04559)"

Chamber meeting date: 3 April 2025

Antisocial Behaviour (Disguised Perpetrators)

Ben Macpherson (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP): "An uptick has been reported in the utilisation of such disguises in some crime and antisocial behaviour in the capital. Those trends are developing partly through social media…

Chamber meeting date: 3 April 2025

Project Willow

Ben Macpherson (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP): "Rightly, there has been much focus today on the importance of the local economy and Grangemouth’s significance to the national economy…

Chamber meeting date: 3 April 2025

Heat in Buildings Bill

Ben Macpherson (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP): "I welcome the fact that ground-source heating has been spoken about…

Chamber meeting date: 3 April 2025

Aarhus Convention and Access to Environmental Justice

Ben Macpherson (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP): "Like colleagues, I welcome the debate on the Aarhus convention and the right to a clean environment…

Votes

How Ben Macpherson has voted in Parliament

Find out how Ben Macpherson has voted recently.

Motion ref. S6M-17242

UK Government Welfare Reforms

Submitted by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, Dunfermline, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Thursday, April 17, 2025

Supported by: Paul McLennan, Kaukab Stewart
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Result 73 for, 40 against, 0 abstained, 15 did not vote

MSP voted for

Vote Passed

Motion ref. S6M-17242.1

UK Government Welfare Reforms

Submitted by: Paul O'Kane, West Scotland, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Result 14 for, 100 against, 0 abstained, 14 did not vote

MSP voted against

Vote Defeated

Motion ref. S6M-17242.3

UK Government Welfare Reforms

Submitted by: Liz Smith, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Supported by: Roz McCall
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Result 27 for, 82 against, 5 abstained, 14 did not vote

MSP voted against

Vote Defeated

Motion ref. S6M-17267

Substitution on Committees

Submitted by: Jamie Hepburn, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Result 108 for, 1 against, 0 abstained, 19 did not vote

MSP voted for

Vote Passed

Motion ref. S6M-17266

Committee Membership

Submitted by: Jamie Hepburn, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Result 109 for, 1 against, 0 abstained, 18 did not vote

MSP voted for

Vote Passed

Motions

Questions

Questions Ben Macpherson has asked

These are the questions that this MSP has asked in Parliament. It also includes any answer to those questions.

Question ref. S6O-04559

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 16 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with partners to tackle gang-related crime."

Answered by Angela Constance on 23 April 2025

Question ref. S6W-34325

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 31 January 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing a statutory duty of care for higher education institutions."

Answered by Graeme Dey on 27 February 2025

Question ref. S6O-04383

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 26 February 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Edinburgh’s economy."

Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2025

Question ref. S6W-34502

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 5 February 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32043 by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2024, whether consideration is being given to creating a clinical and third sector stakeholder group to help inform the implementation of the NICE guideline on myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), to be delivered by…

Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 February 2025

Question ref. S6O-04288

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 29 January 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding establishing a standalone postgraduate business school to help create more companies, attract talent and boost innovation."

Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2025

Question ref. S6W-33312

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 15 January 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is addressing youth violence, in light of its Youth Violence Summit on 13 January 2025."

Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 January 2025

Question ref. S6O-04274

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 22 January 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it is engaging with local authorities to enable supply teachers to work in and across a number of different local authority areas."

Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2025

Question ref. S6O-04237

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 15 January 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting and investing in youth work."

Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2025

Question ref. S6O-04208

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 8 January 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the planned opening of the safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow, whether consideration has been given to opening a similar facility in Edinburgh."

Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2025

Question ref. S6T-02270

Asked by: Macpherson, Ben, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 6 January 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to reported increases in instances of youth crime and antisocial behaviour."

Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2025

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