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Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
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Andrew Baxter

Scottish Liberal Democrats

MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch (Constituency)

About Andrew Baxter

Contact details

Contact at the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

Career as MSP

Career as MSP

Scottish Liberal Democrats
MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch (Constituency)
07 May 2026 to present

Committees

Andrew Baxter is a member of 2 committees

Climate Action Committee

Substitute Member

Rural Affairs Committee

Deputy Convener

Cross-party groups

Andrew Baxter is not a member of any cross-party groups

Parliamentary and Government Roles

Andrew Baxter does not have any parliamentary or government roles

Party Roles

Andrew Baxter has 1 party role

Spokesperson for Rural Affairs

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Previous roles

Andrew Baxter had the following role in Parliament

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

11 June 2026 to 24 June 2026

Rural Affairs Committee

Member

Register of interests

Andrew Baxter's register of interests

MSPs 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 Andrew Baxter. The date of their initial statement was 20 May 2026.

Remuneration and related undertaking

I am a local authority Councillor for Highland Council (Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX). I spend in the region of 20-30 hours per week on this role. I receive remuneration of between £25,001 and £30,000 per annum and use of a laptop. The basic rate of the councillor salary is deducted from my MSP salary.

Until 31 May 2026, I was Chief of Staff for Angus MacDonald MP (House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA). I spent in the region of 24 hours per week on this role. I received remuneration of between £30,001 and £35,000 per annum.

Gifts

No registrable interests.

Overseas visits

No registrable interests.

Controlled transactions

No registrable interests.

Heritable property

No registrable interests.

Interest in shares

No registrable interests.

Voluntary

I am a non-practicing member of the Scottish Tourist Guide Association (as a qualified Green Badge Guide).

Recent Activity

Official Report

What Andrew Baxter 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.

Cairngorms Wildfire

Chamber meeting date: 3 September 2026

Andrew Baxter (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD): "I associate myself with the cabinet secretary’s thanks to all of the firefighters and volunteers who tackled the wildfire in my constituency…

Rural Support Plan

Rural Affairs Committee meeting date: 2 September 2026

Andrew Baxter (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD): "We will move on to a topic that we have already discussed obliquely at the beginning: the four-tier framework. The framework commands broad support in principle. We have had a lot of detailed submissions about the different payments in the framework…

Wildfires in Scotland

Chamber meeting date: 1 September 2026

Andrew Baxter (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD): "The smoke has not yet cleared from the Cairngorms wildfire, but already it feels to a certain extent as though the Scottish Government would rather dampen down questions about its response…

Interests

Rural Affairs Committee meeting date: 24 June 2026

Andrew Baxter (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD): "I declare that I am a sitting member on Highland Council."

Pupil Support Assistants (Rural Primary Schools)

Chamber meeting date: 16 June 2026

Andrew Baxter (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD): "I refer to my entry in the register of interests, which shows that I am a sitting councillor on Highland Council…

Votes

How Andrew Baxter has voted in Parliament

Find out how Andrew Baxter has voted recently.

Building Stronger, Safer and Inclusive Communities, Together

Motion ref. S7M-01084.1

Submitted by: Thomas Kerr, Glasgow, Reform UK . Date lodged: Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Result 17 for, 102 against, 0 abstained, 10 did not vote

MSP not voted

Disagreed

Building Stronger, Safer and Inclusive Communities, Together

Motion ref. S7M-01084.4

Submitted by: Pauline McNeill, Glasgow, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Supported by: Carol Mochan
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Result 24 for, 95 against, 0 abstained, 10 did not vote

MSP not voted

Disagreed

Building Stronger, Safer and Inclusive Communities, Together

Motion ref. S7M-01084.3

Submitted by: Kate Nevens, Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Supported by: Maggie Chapman
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Result 92 for, 27 against, 0 abstained, 10 did not vote

MSP not voted

Agreed

Building Stronger, Safer and Inclusive Communities, Together

Motion ref. S7M-01084

Submitted by: Simita Kumar, Edinburgh South Western, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Monday, September 7, 2026

Supported by: Neil Gray, Kirsten Oswald, Shirley-Anne Somerville
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Result 92 for, 26 against, 0 abstained, 11 did not vote

MSP not voted

Agreed

Building Stronger, Safer and Inclusive Communities, Together

Motion ref. S7M-01084.2

Submitted by: Meghan Gallacher, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Result 27 for, 90 against, 0 abstained, 12 did not vote

MSP not voted

Disagreed

Motions

Motions made by Andrew Baxter in Parliament

Find out what motions Andrew Baxter has submitted recently.

Questions

Questions Andrew Baxter has asked

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

Question reference: S7O-00222

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 9 September 2026

Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address any barriers faced by victims of domestic abuse in rural and remote communities."

Question reference: S7W-02621

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 21 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government how Social Security Scotland supports claimants who may experience financial hardship as a result of delays in information being provided to the Department for Work and Pensions following an award of a Scottish social security benefit, including where such delays result in the loss of Pension Credit and any…

Question reference: S7W-02626

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 21 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 8 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its duties under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, what steps it is taking to ensure that all children whose welfare is the subject of social work involvement, and not only those who meet existing statutory gateways, have access to independent…

Question reference: S7W-02624

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 21 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 8 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the statutory gateways to independent advocacy for children and young people, to consider whether children with social work involvement who do not meet the current eligibility criteria, including care experience, involvement in a live Children's Hearing, or eligibility under the Mental Health…

Question reference: S7W-02625

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 21 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 8 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of the current statutory gateways to independent advocacy for children and young people, given that access is limited to those who are care experienced, subject to a live Children's Hearing, or covered by the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, and that…

Question reference: S7W-02631

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 21 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it has issued any guidance to NHS boards on the inclusion of service undertaken through NHS staff banks when calculating eligibility for long-service recognition schemes, such as NHS Highland's Valuing Service Award."

Question reference: S7W-02612

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 20 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 3 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what steps CalMac is taking to ensure that planned and ongoing maintenance on MV Hallaig does not result in a permanent reduction in Raasay’s scheduled lifeline ferry service."

Question reference: S7W-02613

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 20 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 3 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what transport alternatives it and CalMac considered before advising the community on Raasay that the island's lifeline ferry service would be reduced to accommodate planned vessel maintenance."

Question reference: S7W-02614

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 20 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 3 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the needs of island communities should be the primary consideration in the planning of lifeline ferry services."

Question reference: S7W-02203

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Date lodged: 31 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 1 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government how many of its advertising campaigns were carried by community radio stations in each of the last five years."