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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 1 committee

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.

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…

Maritime and Coastguard Agency (Payments)

Chamber meeting date: 16 June 2026

Andrew Baxter (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD): "When the call comes, coastguard rescue officers drop everything, leaving work, family and home to help to save lives…

Public Service Reform (Staff, Service Users and Local Communities)

Chamber meeting date: 11 June 2026

Andrew Baxter (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD): "I am glad that the cabinet secretary has got on to talking about prevention, which was a central tenet of the Christie commission report…

Antisocial Behaviour

Chamber meeting date: 11 June 2026

Andrew Baxter (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD): "I direct members to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am a serving member of Highland Council. I thank Colin Beattie for securing the debate…

Votes

How Andrew Baxter has voted in Parliament

Find out how Andrew Baxter has voted recently.

Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population

Motion ref. S7M-00469

Submitted by: Neil Gray, Airdrie, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Supported by: Kirsten Oswald
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, June 25, 2026

Result 89 for, 31 against, 0 abstained, 9 did not vote

MSP voted for

Agreed

Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population

Motion ref. S7M-00469.3

Submitted by: Maggie Chapman, North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party. Date lodged: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Supported by: Kate Nevens
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, June 25, 2026

Result 16 for, 104 against, 0 abstained, 9 did not vote

MSP voted against

Disagreed

Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population

Motion ref. S7M-00469.5

Submitted by: Stephen Kerr, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Supported by: James Adams
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, June 25, 2026

Result 26 for, 78 against, 15 abstained, 10 did not vote

MSP voted against

Disagreed

Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population

Motion ref. S7M-00469.1

Submitted by: Amanda Bland, Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK . Date lodged: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, June 25, 2026

Result 26 for, 94 against, 0 abstained, 9 did not vote

MSP voted against

Disagreed

Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population

Motion ref. S7M-00469.2

Submitted by: Pauline McNeill, Glasgow, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, June 25, 2026

Result 65 for, 53 against, 0 abstained, 11 did not vote

MSP voted for

Agreed

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: S7W-02614

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

Date lodged: 20 August 2026

Current Status: Answer expected on 18 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-02611

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

Date lodged: 20 August 2026

Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what economic and social factors ScotRail is required to consider before reducing services in rural areas and what evidence is required to support such decisions, given the smaller populations and lower expected passenger numbers on those routes."

Question reference: S7W-02613

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

Date lodged: 20 August 2026

Current Status: Answer expected on 18 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-02610

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

Date lodged: 20 August 2026

Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it, or ScotRail, carried out an assessment of the impact on rural communities in Badenoch and Strathspey of removing the 06:47 service from Kingussie to Inverness from the current timetable before the decision was taken and, if so, whether it will publish the assessment."

Question reference: S7W-02612

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

Date lodged: 20 August 2026

Current Status: Answer expected on 18 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-01875

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

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 19 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what processes the Accountant in Bankruptcy has in place to verify that insolvency practitioners appointed as trustees in sequestrations hold a valid bond of caution throughout the duration of their appointments."

Question reference: S7W-01874

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

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 19 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what records the Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains regarding inspections and compliance checks carried out in respect of insolvency practitioners acting as trustees in sequestration cases."

Question reference: S7W-01872

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

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the Respect for All anti-bullying framework in reducing bullying experienced by children with additional support needs in primary schools."

Question reference: S7W-01873

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

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Highland Council in the last three years regarding bullying in primary schools and support for pupils with additional support needs who experience this."

Question reference: S7W-02258

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

Date lodged: 4 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increase in video recordings by police officers using body-worn filming devices, what additional resources it is providing to Police Scotland to ensure that members of the public can access such footage through Subject Access Requests, in line with their rights under the Data Protection Act…