Orkney & Shetland / data
Mr Alistair Carmichael · Liberal Democrats · sitting since 07 Jun 2001 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
9087days
from 07 Jun 2001
Divisions
278
of 504 possible
Attendance
55%
226 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
112
68 debates
Written Qs
22
17 answered
Committees
4
1 chair
Expenses
£322k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 232 claims
Interests
6
4 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 67 | |
| Economy | 59 | |
| Employment | 33 | |
| Crime & Policing | 31 | |
| Education | 27 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 20 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 17 | |
| Housing | 15 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | 2 | — |
| Economy Jobs | 45 | 13,107 |
| Environment | 18 | 11,884 |
| Agriculture | 17 | 9,159 |
| Cost Of Living | 11 | 3,181 |
| Health | 7 | 2,995 |
| Defence | 16 | 1,590 |
| Local Government | 9 | 1,139 |
B · Notable divisions
Free votes, rebellions and high-salience whipped votes — the moments that distinguish this MP from the party machine. The full division-by-division record will follow once the per-MP archive is wired.
| Date | Division | Whip | MP voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2025 | Tobacco and Vapes Bill: Third ReadingMPs voted to pass the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at its final stage in the Commons. The Bill aims to create a 'smokefree generation' by graduall… | Rebelled | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2026 | European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service12. What recent discussions she has had with the aviation industry on the potential merits of the UK rejoining the European geostationary navigation overlay service. TransportEconomy Jobs | 25 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | European Geostationary Navigation Overlay ServiceI think I can speed things up there, because I can tell the Minister exactly what the impact has been. Since we lost access to EGNOS, the number of cancellations to island communit… TransportEconomy Jobs | 107 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Topical QuestionsT8. Airlines are already adding fuel surcharges to ticket prices as a consequence of current events. That may not be surprising, but does the Secretary of State agree with me that,… TransportLocal GovernmentEconomy Jobs | 63 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Middle East: Economic UpdateShetland is home to one of the largest onshore wind farms in the country, the operators of which are paid millions not to generate electricity because of grid constraints. As a res… EnergyCost Of LivingEconomy Jobs | 79 |
| 19 Mar 2026 | EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement: NegotiationsObviously, there are real opportunities to be had from the completion of an SPS agreement, but those who import fresh produce, in particular citrus fruit, are concerned that import… AgricultureEconomy JobsEnvironment | 73 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Digital ID: Public ConsultationI commend the Minister for admitting that he does not know how much this is going to cost, but it is almost six months since this became Government policy, and now he has decided t… Economy JobsOther | 55 |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Type 1 Diabetes: Infant TestingI am grateful to you for allowing me to take part in the debate, Sir Alec. I apologise for my late arrival; I had a five-hour delay to my flight today, which is all part of the joy… HealthSocial Care | 285 |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Middle EastMr Speaker, you will recall that in 2003 this House voted to support George Bush’s war in Iraq, and that 10 years later we voted not to support Barack Obama’s intervention in Syria… DefenceEnergy | 132 |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Representation of the People BillThe hon. Lady is absolutely right about the 2014 referendum experience. After that, I brought a section 30 order before the House to give the Scottish Parliament the power to lower… Economy JobsCrimeCulture Community | 80 |
| 25 Feb 2026 | Energy Developers LevyI urge the Minister to learn from the experience of Shetland and Sullom Voe, 50 years ago. We took the most important step on North sea oil and gas coming ashore in Shetland, but o… EnergyEnvironmentLocal Government | 64 |
| 25 Feb 2026 | Energy Developers LevyThe hon. Member has really come to the nub of the matter: the energy companies that are building and installing the renewable capacity are making a lot of money out of it. In my co… EnergyEnvironmentLocal Government | 79 |
| 23 Feb 2026 | Firearms LicensingThe hon. Gentleman’s point about the DVLA is an interesting one. If I consider my casework load over the years, I would not necessarily hold up the DVLA as a model of the advantage… AgricultureCrimeEconomy Jobs | 107 |
| 12 Feb 2026 | UK-EU Agritrade: SPS AgreementIf our ultimate destination were re-entry, whether by the back door or front door, I suspect that the hon. Gentleman and I might struggle to find a common position. Let us be clear… AgricultureEnvironmentEconomy Jobs | 122 |
| 12 Feb 2026 | UK-EU Agritrade: SPS AgreementOn any objective analysis, it is very important that we get this right, and we can get it right by doing it slowly and carefully. The hon. Member for Bridlington and The Wolds (Cha… AgricultureEnvironmentEconomy Jobs | 141 |
| 12 Feb 2026 | UK-EU Agritrade: SPS AgreementThe hon. Lady is absolutely right. She was on the Committee when we heard from the Swiss representatives in Brussels, and they were successful over a rather longer negotiation peri… AgricultureEnvironmentEconomy Jobs | 180 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 5 | 22.7% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 5 | 22.7% |
| Home Office | 4 | 18.2% |
| Treasury | 3 | 13.6% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 2 | 9.1% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 1 | 4.5% |
| Ministry of Defence | 1 | 4.5% |
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 1 | 4.5% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, a) what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the international competitiveness of UK financial and legal services of instances in which High Court fraud judgments are not enforced overse… | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, a) how many asset recovery cases involving cooperation with the United Arab Emirates have resulted in funds being returned to UK victims since 2020; b) what metrics are used to measure… | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, a) how many mutual legal assistance requests relating to the enforcement of civil fraud judgments have been made to the United Arab Emirates since 2022; b) in how many cases those reque… | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, a) what role the enforceability of UK court judgments plays in the Government’s assessment of financial services cooperation and market access discussions with the United Arab Emirates;… | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, a) what assessment he has made of the average time required to secure the recognition and enforcement in the United Arab Emirates of civil fraud judgments of t… | Pending |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's White Paper entitled A New Vision for Water, published on 20 January 2026, if she will set out what (a) working groups were establishe… | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the total value of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will be allocated to England in the 2026-27 financial year. | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will raise with President Tinubu of Nigeria the safeguarding of democratic institutions and ensuring free and fair elections in Nigeria in 2027 dur… | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set out when her Department's timetable for when (a) the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will open for applications; and (b) details of the (i) eligibility,… | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, published on 19 February 2026, for what reason the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund… | Answered |
| 29 Jan 2026 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of plans to replace the copper wire communications network. | Answered |
| 28 Oct 2025 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the (a) full results and (b) evaluation reports from all Environment Land Management and Trials; and whether these will be made publ… | Answered |
| 10 Oct 2025 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department will consider setting a £7m wave energy ringfence in Allocation Round 7 of the Contracts for Difference mechanism. | Answered |
| 10 Oct 2025 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department will consider setting a £40m tidal stream ringfence in Allocation Round 7 of the Contracts for Difference mechanism. | Answered |
| 12 Nov 2024 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of the security provisions for energy and telecommunications infrastructure in the UK's exclusive economic zone. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liaison Sub-Committee on National Policy StatementsSelect | Member | Commons | 11 Jun 2025 | present |
| Liaison Committee (Commons)Select | Member | Commons | 04 Dec 2024 | present |
| Environment, Food and Rural Affairs CommitteeSelect | Chair | Commons | 09 Sept 2024 | present |
| Environment, Food and Rural Affairs CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 09 Sept 2024 | present |
F · Expenses
Every business-cost claim reimbursed by IPSA in the current financial year, grouped by category. “Aggregated” rows are IPSA’s own year-end totals for cost types like payroll and rent that aren’t itemised claim-by-claim.
Category breakdown
| Category | Claims | Paid (£) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Costs | 195 | 39,559 | 12.3% |
| Staffing | 1 | 216,189 | 67.0% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 38,302 | 11.9% |
| Accommodation | 0 | 14,797 | 4.6% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 11,516 | 3.6% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 2,124 | 0.7% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | Office Costs | 24 | 8,902 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 6,530 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 47 | 3,527 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 21 | 3,148 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 7 | 2,363 |
| Cleaning services | Office Costs | 39 | 1,626 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 10 | 1,232 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 27 | 1,005 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 5 | 747 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 1 | 720 |
| Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | Office Costs | 4 | 426 |
| Insurance - contents | Office Costs | 2 | 314 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | OFFICE CLEANING MARCH [200011798-215] | 42 | Paid |
| 15 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 376 | Paid |
| 07 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 515 | Paid |
| 07 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011798-212] | 83 | Paid |
| 07 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Water | 78 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | WINDOW CLEANING SHETLAND OFFICE [200011797-443] | 18 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 389 | Paid |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Water | 104 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 420 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 237 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 237 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 237 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 210 | Paid |
| 19 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 488 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | E.FRASER ELEC (ORK)LTD [200011725-6670] | 178 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | AGA PRINT LTD [200011725-5058] | 141 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | ALAMY.COM LIMITED [200011725-5059] | 58 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | ORKNEY MEDIA GROUP . H [200011725-4720] | 55 | Paid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | OFFICE CLEANING | 52 | Paid |
| 07 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Office cleaning | 28 | Paid |
G · Register of interests
Every financial interest declared by the MP, grouped under the Register’s official categories. Retracted entries are hidden but counted above.
1. Employment and earnings2 entries
08 Oct 2025
Payment: £750
Received on: 29 September 2025. Hours: 5 hrs.
(Registered 30 September 2025)
08 Oct 2025
Role, work or services: Member of the Advisory Board of the House Magazine
From: 12 May 2021.
Payer: Dods Group Ltd, 11th Floor, The Shard, 32 London Bridge St, London SE1 9SG
(Registered 22 September 2021)
6. Land and property portfolio with a value over £100,000 and where indicated, the portfolio provides a rental income of over £10,000 a year1 entry
18 Apr 2024
Type of land/property: Agricultural land (Farmland including farm buildings and one house let as holiday accommodation, managed through Coillabus Farms)
Location: Islay, Argyll
Interest held: from 10 November 2021
Rental income: from 10 November 2021
Rental income details: income paid to my father
(Registered 16 November 2021; updated 29 July 2024)
7. (i) Shareholdings: over 15% of issued share capital1 entry
18 Apr 2024
Name of company or organisation: Coillabus Farms
Nature of business: A firm which manages two farms and the letting of self-catering holiday accommodation on Islay.
Interest held: from 24 October 2021
(Registered 16 November 2021)
8. Miscellaneous2 entries
18 Apr 2024
An unpaid partner in Coillabus Farms.
Date interest arose: 24 October 2021
(Registered 16 November 2021)
18 Apr 2024
Unremunerated Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding.
Date interest arose: 22 September 2017
(Registered 12 October 2017)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 12 wards, 39 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Mainland South Ronaldsay Burray | Gillian Skuse | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| East Mainland South Ronaldsay Burray | James Moar | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| East Mainland South Ronaldsay Burray | Raymie Peace | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Kirkwall East | David Dawson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Kirkwall East | Gwenda Shearer | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Kirkwall East | John Ross Scott | Green Party of England and Wales | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Kirkwall East | Steven Heddle | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Kirkwall West Orphir | Ivan Taylor | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Kirkwall West Orphir | Kristopher Leask | Green Party of England and Wales | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Kirkwall West Orphir | Leslie Manson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Kirkwall West Orphir | Sandy Cowie | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Lerwick North | Arwed Wenger | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Lerwick North | Gary Robinson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Lerwick North | Stephen Arthur Leask | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Lerwick South | Cecil Laing Smith | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Lerwick South | Dennis Leask | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Lerwick South | John Finlay Sinclair Fraser | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Lerwick South | Neil Pearson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| North Isles | Heather Woodbridge | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| North Isles | Mellissa Thomson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| North Isles | Robert William Thomson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 04 Aug 2022 |
| North Isles | Stephen Clackson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland Central | Catherine Hughson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland Central | Davie Sandison | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland Central | Ian Scott | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland Central | Moraig Lyall | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland North | Alastair Thomas James Cooper | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 395 | 04 May 2017 |
| Shetland North | Andrea Isabel Manson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 509 | 04 May 2017 |
| Shetland North | Emma Louise Macdonald | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 240 | 04 May 2017 |
| Shetland South | Alex Armitage | Green Party of England and Wales | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland South | Allison George Leslie Duncan | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland South | Bryan Peterson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland South | Robbie McGregor | Scottish National Party (SNP) | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Shetland West | Mark Robinson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 17 Nov 2022 |
| Stromness South Isles | Janette Anne Park | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 28 Mar 2024 |
| West Mainland | Duncan Tullock | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| West Mainland | Jean Stevenson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| West Mainland | Owen Tierney | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
| West Mainland | Rachael King | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | — | 05 May 2022 |
I · Demographics
Demographic profile unavailable for this constituency.
J · Public spending
HMT publishes headline spending identifiable by region in PESA. Constituency-level capital allocations (Levelling-Up Fund, Towns Fund, UKSPF, transport capital, BEIS R&D) are published as separate departmental datasets. We are evaluating the cleanest reconciliation for a per-constituency view.