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Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
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Jenny Young

Scottish Labour

MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West (Region)

About Jenny Young

Contact details

Contact online

X (previously known as Twitter): @x.com/JennyYoung2026

Contact at the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

Career as MSP

Career as MSP

Scottish Labour
MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West (Region)
07 May 2026 to present

Committees

Jenny Young is a member of 2 committees

Education and Gaelic Committee

Substitute Member

Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Member

Cross-party groups

Jenny Young is not a member of any cross-party groups

Parliamentary and Government Roles

Jenny Young has 1 parliamentary and government role

Congress Of Local And Regional Authorities Of The Council Of Europe

Member

Party Roles

Jenny Young has 1 party role

Shadow Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education

Scottish Labour

Previous roles

Jenny Young does not have any previous roles

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

Register of interests

Jenny Young'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 Jenny Young. The date of their initial statement was 10 June 2026.

Remuneration and related undertaking

Until 7 May 2026, when I resigned, I worked full-time as a Research Assistant in the office of Michael Marra MSP at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP. The remuneration I received was between £35,001 and £40,000. I received one final payment of £773.30 on 31 May 2026.

Gifts

On 12 August 2026, my husband and I attended the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo as guests of Vodafone Ltd, a telecommunications and digital services provider (of The Speechmark, 114 Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1 0BE). The total cost of the tickets and hospitality, provided by Vodafone Ltd, was £720.

Overseas visits

No registrable interests.

Controlled transactions

No registrable interests.

Heritable property

No registrable interests.

Interest in shares

No registrable interests.

Voluntary

I was previously a member of Educational Institute of Scotland from 2017 to 2023.

I am a registered teacher with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

I have been a member of GMB Scotland since 2023.

I am a member of a church which is part of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.

A close family member is a registered teacher with the General Teaching Council for Scotland and a member of SSTA.

Recent Activity

Official Report

What Jenny Young 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.

Antisocial Behaviour (Motorised Bikes and Scooters)

Chamber meeting date: 8 September 2026

Jenny Young (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab): "Illegal e-bikes are indeed blighting communities across West Lothian, with many residents feeling unsafe in their local spaces and parks and, as Pauline Stafford said, around the bings…

Programme for Government (Child Poverty)

Chamber meeting date: 3 September 2026

Jenny Young (Central Scotland and Lothians West) (Lab): "In the nearly 10 years since the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 was passed, we have heard a lot about the eradication of child poverty and about a defining mission and a moral purpose, but we must face a hard truth: we are not going to eradicate child poverty by 2030. We are not even going to meet the targets that were agreed to in 2017. The…

Hyperscale AI Data Centres

Chamber meeting date: 3 September 2026

Jenny Young (Central Scotland and Lothians West) (Lab): "I thank Graham Simpson for securing this evening’s debate. It is encouraging to note, from the speeches that we have heard so far, that there is broad agreement that data centres are required. We will all have made use of cloud technologies today…

Hyperscale AI Data Centres

Chamber meeting date: 3 September 2026

Jenny Young (Central Scotland and Lothians West) (Lab): "I thank Graham Simpson for securing this evening’s debate. It is encouraging to note, from the speeches that we have heard so far, that there is broad agreement that data centres are required. We will all have made use of cloud technologies today…

Raising Standards and Delivering Excellence for Every Child

Chamber meeting date: 2 September 2026

Jenny Young (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab): "I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement. We certainly share the ambition for our schools and education system to be better so that our kids have a brighter future and more opportunities…

Votes

How Jenny Young has voted in Parliament

Find out how Jenny Young has voted recently.

Programme for Government, An Economy Fit for the Future

Motion ref. S7M-01070

Submitted by: Stephen Flynn, Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Monday, September 7, 2026

Supported by: Tom Arthur, Jim Fairlie, Gillian Martin
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Result 78 for, 41 against, 0 abstained, 10 did not vote

MSP voted for

Agreed

Programme for Government, An Economy Fit for the Future

Motion ref. S7M-01070.5

Submitted by: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats. Date lodged: Monday, September 7, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Result 93 for, 11 against, 14 abstained, 11 did not vote

MSP voted for

Agreed

Programme for Government, An Economy Fit for the Future

Motion ref. S7M-01070.2

Submitted by: Patrick Harvie, Glasgow, Scottish Green Party. Date lodged: Monday, September 7, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Result 15 for, 86 against, 17 abstained, 11 did not vote

MSP abstained

Disagreed

Programme for Government, An Economy Fit for the Future

Motion ref. S7M-01070.3

Submitted by: Rachael Hamilton, Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Monday, September 7, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Result 27 for, 76 against, 17 abstained, 9 did not vote

MSP abstained

Disagreed

Programme for Government, An Economy Fit for the Future

Motion ref. S7M-01070.4

Submitted by: Malcolm Offord, West Scotland, Reform UK . Date lodged: Monday, September 7, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, September 8, 2026

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

MSP voted against

Disagreed

Motions

Motions made by Jenny Young in Parliament

Find out what motions Jenny Young has submitted recently.

Questions

Questions Jenny Young has asked

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

Question reference: S7O-00195

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 2 September 2026

Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its proposal to reduce the number of NHS boards as part of its public service reform programme, what assurances it can provide that staffing and support for mental health and neurodevelopmental services will not be adversely affected."

Question reference: S7W-02350

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 7 August 2026

Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 31 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a timescale for the Scottish Land Court taking on jurisdiction for outdoor access cases under sections 14 and 28 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, as provided for in the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Act 2026."

Question reference: S7W-01783

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government how many schools use the Gatsby Benchmarks to assess their careers guidance provision, and what the average benchmark score achieved is."

Question reference: S7W-01787

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) 16- to 18-, (ii) 19- to 21- and (iii) 22- to 24-year-olds have not completed their apprenticeship in each year since 2018."

Question reference: S7W-01786

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) 16- to 18-, (b) 19- to 21- and (c) 22- to 24-year-olds started apprenticeships in each year since 2018,"

Question reference: S7W-01784

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people aged (i) under 19 and (ii) 19 to 24 in further education did not complete their course in each year since 2017-18, and what information it holds regarding the reasons for this."

Question reference: S7W-01780

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of secondary school pupils eligible for free school meals has been recorded as being persistently absent from school in each year since 2017-18, and what analysis it has commissioned or carried out on the impact that this might have on the likelihood of them subsequently having the status of being…

Question reference: S7W-01782

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what tools are used by schools to identify pupils at risk of having the status of not being in employment, education or training (NEET)."

Question reference: S7W-01789

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of young people in receipt of Child Disability Payment transferred to Adult Disability Payment after they turned 16, in each of the last five years."

Question reference: S7W-01779

Asked by: Jenny Young, Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 21 July 2026

Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 August 2026

"To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of disabled 16- to 24-year-olds in each year since 2010-11 were classified as not being in employment, education or training (NEET)."