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Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)

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Mercedes Villalba

Scottish Labour

MSP for North East Scotland (Region) 2021 - present day

About Mercedes Villalba

Contact details

Contact online

Contact at the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

Phone: 0131 348 6390
Text relay calls welcome.

Committees

Mercedes is not a member of any committees

Cross-party groups

Mercedes is a member of 7 cross-party groups

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Cuba

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Migration

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Nature and Climate

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Nuclear Disarmament

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Palestine

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Rural Policy

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Tibet

Member

Parliamentary and Government Roles

Mercedes does not have any parliamentary or government roles

Party Roles

Mercedes has 2 party roles

Deputy Party Spokesperson on Biodiversity

Scottish Labour

Deputy Party Spokesperson on Environment

Scottish Labour

Previous roles

Mercedes has had 5 previous roles

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

25 April 2023 - 25 September 2024

Substitute Member

25 April 2023 - 16 November 2023

Member

01 February 2023 - 25 April 2023

Member

22 September 2021 - 25 April 2023

Substitute Member

17 June 2021 - 01 February 2023

Member

Register of interests

Mercedes'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 Mercedes Villalba. The date of their initial statement was 08 June 2021.

Remuneration and related undertaking

No registrable interests

Gifts

No registrable interests

Overseas visits

From 8 to 13 November 2025, I visited Ramallah, Palestine, to attend a congress to examine the rapid intensification of the illegal Israeli occupation, and strategies to challenge it in accordance with international law. The costs of £956 for travel and £378 for accommodation and expenses were met by Progressive International (Services) Ltd (of 71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ) which is an organisation that unites, organises and mobilises the world’s progressive forces. [Registered 20 November 2025]

From 10 to 12 June 2025 I visited Oslo to attend a roundtable discussion on the North Sea Energy Transition, with civil society representatives, union representatives and politicians from the UK and Norway. The costs of the visit, which were met by Oil Change UK (a research, communications and advocacy organisation working to end reliance on fossil fuels of 2nd Floor Regis House, 45 King William Street, London, United Kingdom, EC4R 9AN), were £300 for travel and £700 for accommodation and expenses. [Registered 2 July 2025]

From 27 May to 2 June 2022 I took part in an international delegation to Colombia to monitor the current state of trade union rights, human rights and the peace deal signed between the Colombian state and the FARC-EP in November 2016. The delegation was organised by the British-Irish organisation, Justice for Colombia (75 St John Street, London, EC1M 4NN), which campaigns in support of peace and human rights in Colombia. The costs, which were met by Justice for Colombia, were as follows: internal travel, hotels and food £900; logistical and organisational support £583; and international travel £862. [Registered 24 June 2022]

From 17 to 24 October 2023, I took part in the International Visitors Program for the 2023 General Elections of Argentina in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The program was organised by the Directorate for Electoral Cooperation and Assistance of the Ministry of the Interior of Argentina (Gascón 352 - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires) which manages issues pertaining to domestic politics such as immigration and co-ordination between the federal government and the governments of the provinces of Argentina. The costs, which were met by the Ministry, were as follows: internal travel, hotels and food £850; logistical and organisational support £600; and international travel £1,200. [Registered 14 November 2023]

Controlled transactions

No registrable interests

Heritable property

No registrable interests

Interest in shares

No registrable interests

Voluntary

[Ceased interest removed from entry: 13 December 2023]

Member of Living Rent tenants' union.

As a funded PhD student prior to the election, I received a monthly stipend of £1,273.75. I received the last stipend on 28 May 2021, but returned this to the university on 8 June 2021.

Member of ACORN tenants' union.

Member of Unite the Union.

Recent Activity

What was said

What Mercedes Villalba 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: 4 December 2025

Offshore Workers (Health and Safety)

Mercedes Villalba (North East Scotland) (Lab): "Last week, fossil fuel giant Shell UK was fined more than £500,000 after pleading guilty to two offences following a Health and Safety Executive investigation into its Brent Charlie platform…

Chamber meeting date: 4 December 2025

English for Speakers of Other Languages (Protests against Adult Classes in Schools)

Mercedes Villalba (North East Scotland) (Lab): "Seaton primary school in my region has been the target of anti-migrant disruption twice in the past week alone. Successive Governments have allowed the poor to get poorer while the rich get richer…

Chamber meeting date: 26 November 2025

NatureScot Species Licensing Review

Mercedes Villalba (North East Scotland) (Lab): "Our public money is being spent on mitigating the environmental damage caused by polluting private companies. We cannot afford to go on like this…

Chamber meeting date: 26 November 2025

Gender Identity Clinics (Waiting Times)

Mercedes Villalba (North East Scotland) (Lab): "I put on record my thanks to Patrick Harvie for lodging the motion so that we can have this debate in the chamber. I will use my time to raise a constituency case with the minister…

Chamber meeting date: 25 November 2025

Business Motions

Mercedes Villalba (North East Scotland) (Lab): "On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted yes."

Votes

How Mercedes Villalba has voted in Parliament

Find out how Mercedes Villalba has voted recently.

Motion ref. S6M-19980.1

Transparency in Tackling Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Submitted by: Russell Findlay, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Result 50 for, 73 against, 0 abstained, 6 did not vote

MSP voted for

Disagreed

Motion ref. S6M-19980

Transparency in Tackling Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Submitted by: Pauline McNeill, Glasgow, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Monday, December 1, 2025

Supported by: Paul Sweeney
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Result 95 for, 27 against, 1 abstained, 6 did not vote

MSP voted for

Agreed

Motion ref. S6M-19977.1

Crisis in Social Care

Submitted by: Neil Gray, Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Supported by: Tom Arthur, Jenni Minto, Maree Todd
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Result 68 for, 55 against, 0 abstained, 6 did not vote

MSP voted against

Agreed

Motion ref. S6M-19980.2

Transparency in Tackling Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Submitted by: Jenny Gilruth, Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Supported by: Angela Constance
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Result 67 for, 55 against, 1 abstained, 6 did not vote

MSP voted against

Agreed

Motion ref. S6M-19977

Crisis in Social Care

Submitted by: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Monday, December 1, 2025

Supported by: Paul Sweeney
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Result 67 for, 51 against, 5 abstained, 6 did not vote

MSP voted against

Agreed

Motions

Questions

Questions Mercedes Villalba has asked

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

Question reference: S6W-42391

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 4 December 2025

Current Status: Answer expected on 18 December 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether future support for Less Favoured Areas through Tier 2 of the new Agriculture Reform Framework will be based on contemporaneous or historic data."

Question reference: S6W-42392

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 4 December 2025

Current Status: Answer expected on 18 December 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government, regarding reported comments by the Director of Agriculture and Rural Economy, what its response is to the comment that the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) could not be rebased due to staff number reductions."

Question reference: S6W-42393

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 4 December 2025

Current Status: Answer expected on 18 December 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of payments made under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) in 2024 was based on historic data."

Question reference: S6W-42286

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 2 December 2025

Current Status: Answer expected on 16 December 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers or plans to provide to landowners of fewer than 200 hectares, including those who are community groups and private individuals, who wish to manage land for the restoration of natural processes."

Question reference: S6W-42284

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 2 December 2025

Current Status: Answer expected on 16 December 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to align the ecosystem metrics used in the Ecosystem Restoration Code with other policy frameworks and mechanisms, including through nature recovery targets and public funding mechanisms."

Question reference: S6W-42285

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 2 December 2025

Current Status: Answer expected on 16 December 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the contribution of natural processes, such as natural regeneration, natural river dynamics and trophic interactions, toward meeting statutory nature recovery targets."

Question reference: S6W-42283

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 2 December 2025

Current Status: Answer expected on 16 December 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations of the recently published report by the British Ecological Society, Aligning Environmental Agendas for Nature Recovery."

Question reference: S6W-41724

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 6 November 2025

Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that public investment is evenly distributed across (a) north east Scotland and (b) Scotland."

Question reference: S6W-41823

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 11 November 2025

Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 November 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government, regarding Scotland’s fishing sector, how it plans to support sustainable (a) economic growth, (b) development and (c) fishing practices (i) in north east Scotland and (ii) across Scotland."

Question reference: S6W-41726

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour

Date lodged: 6 November 2025

Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 November 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics for 2024, what its response is to reported collapsing stocks of (a) Northern Shelf cod, (b) mackerel and (c) other North Sea fish."

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