This page shows the latest version of the register of interests by category.
For more information on the different categories, see the the official Scottish Parliament page.
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From 4 July to 8 July 2022 I visited Munich and Berlin, Germany, as part of a cross-Party delegation from the Scottish Parliament, meeting Parliamentarians, public officials and business representatives, as a guest of the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The costs of the visit, including travel, accommodation, meals and translation services amounted to £1460 and were paid by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (a political research foundation of Munich, Germany). 🔗
From 10 to 14 November 2019 I attended an international conference on Federalism in Munich, Germany, as a guest of the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The costs of the visit, including travel, accommodation, meals and translation services amounted to £1400 and were paid by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (a political research foundation of Munich, Germany). 🔗
From 12 August to 17 August 2018 I participated in a visit, by the Cross-Party Group Building Bridges with Israel, to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. During the course of the visit the CPG travelled extensively across Israel and in addition visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I met with many organisations and individuals to hear and discuss issues of concern and areas for possible future engagement. The costs of my visit were met by the Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom (MFA) (of 2 Palace Green, Kensington, London W8 4QB) and in respect of my travel, accommodation and hospitality are estimated to be of the value of £2,200. 🔗
From 16 to 26 October 2025, I visited Thimphu and Bumthang, Bhutan, as part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs. The purpose of the visit was to engage with entrepreneurial, charitable and cultural organisations and senior politicians and advisors within the Bhutanese Parliament. The costs of the visit, comprised of £2612.20 for travel and £2359.56 for other expenses, including hotel accommodation, meals, visas, Bhutanese tourist tax, guides and transportation, and hosting meetings with the Loden Foundation, were paid by The Tam O’Shanter Trust, Registered Charity Number: SC030043 (of Little Milton, Nr Kingussie, Inverness-shire, East Lothian), which is a family charitable trust with an all-encompassing (rather than specific) charitable objective. 🔗
From 19-27 August 2022, I attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Halifax, Canada. The cost of flights of £1,642.89 was met by the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (of Richmond House, Houses of Parliament, London, 0AA) and of meals of approximately £158 were met by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Canada Region (of the House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6). The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is a membership association of legislatures from the Commonwealth which brings together Members, irrespective of gender, race, religion or culture, who are united by community of interest, respect for the rule of law and individual rights and freedoms, and by the pursuit of the positive ideals of parliamentary democracy. 🔗
I took part in an overseas visit from 19 July to 6 August 2010 to Washington DC and other locations in the US. I participated in the International Visitors' Leadership Program in the United States, a three week study programme principally examining US policy on climate change. The costs of meals, travel and accommodation within the US, and occasional expenses, were met by the US Department of State Cultural Affairs Division (a government department of 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520) to a total of $8,100 which, on 19 July 2010, was equivalent to £5,316. The costs of travel to and from the US were met by me. 🔗
From 9 to 13 February 2024, I visited California, USA, as part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs, meeting health professionals, family members of individuals who had used the state's End of Life Options Act, Senators and representatives of organisations who provide information about the provisions of the Act. The costs of the visit, including travel, accommodation and meals amounted to £2,694 and were paid by the permissible donor Dignity in Dying (a not-for-profit organisation that campaigns for a change in the law on assisted dying, of 181 Oxford Street, London, W1D 2JF). 🔗
From 7 to 11 October 2024, I was part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs who visited the Republic of China (Taiwan) at the invitation of the Director General, Taipei Representative Office (Edinburgh Office) in the UK, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China Department (of 1 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7PE). The delegation held meetings with a number of Government departments, trade and cultural organisations including: President MA Ying-Jeou and Madame Ma; Scottish Development International (Taiwan Office); Ministry of Transport and Communication; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Taipei City Council; Straits Exchange Foundation; British Trade and Cultural Office; Hsinchu Science Park; Green Energy and Environment Research Lab; King Car Whisky Distillery; and the National Centre for Traditional Arts. The cost of the visit comprised: air ticket £2,780; accommodation £528; bus £133; high speed rail £12; food £163; tickets for 101, opera and hot spring £59. The total cost was £3,675, met in its entirety by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). I also received gifts, which included a vase, a tie and a tie pin, a glass ornament and a book. The value of the items was below the threshold for registration in the gifts category. 🔗
From 4 July to 8 July 2022 I visited Munich and Berlin, Germany, as part of a cross-Party delegation from the Scottish Parliament, meeting Parliamentarians, public officials and business representatives, as a guest of the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The costs of the visit, including travel, accommodation, meals and translation services amounted to £1460 and were paid by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (a political research foundation of Munich, Germany). 🔗
From 8 to 13 October 2017, I visited Taiwan as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). The trip was arranged by the Taipei Representative Office (Edinburgh office) in the UK, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) (of 1 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7PE). I met a number of Government departments, as well as trade and cultural organisations. The total cost of the flight, hotel and ancillary expenses was £6400. These costs were entirely met by the Taiwanese Government as detailed above. 🔗
From 3 to 25 February 2024 I visited the United States of America as a participant in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. I participated in this particular three week professional exchange program with a range of other participants from Europe and Asia, considering various global challenges. The costs of travel, accommodation, meals and other occasional expenses were $9,284 USD (equivalent to £7,339, at the closing exchange rate on 29 February 2024) and were met by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State (of 2201 C St., NW Washington, DC 20520, United States of America), an organisation that aims to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through exchange programmes. 🔗
From 23 to 27 July 2017 (which included two days’ travel) I visited Columbo, Sri Lanka as part of a cross party delegation aimed at increasing women’s participation in politics in the country. I participated in a series of events and spoke at four separate events. The trip was funded by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (a democracy-strengthening organisation of Artillery House, 11-19 Artillery Row, London SW1P 1RT). The costs of the trip were: subsistence £36.90, economy class flights £2,327.09 and hotel £179.01, a total of £2,453. 🔗
From 9 to 13 October 2016, as part of a cross party group, I visited Taiwan as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). The trip was arranged by the Taipei Representative Office (Edinburgh office) in the UK, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) (of 1 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7PE). I met a number of Government departments, as well as trade and cultural organisations. The total cost of the flight, hotel and ancillary expenses was £6,000. These costs were met by the Taiwanese Government. During the trip I was also gifted a limited edition copy of a Taipei sculpture by the artist. I would approximate the value of this gift to be less than £150. 🔗
🆕New entry or subentry
From 31 March to 9 April 2025 I travelled to Dharamsala, India, in my capacity as Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Tibet. I paid for my own travel and most of the accommodation, but the Tibetan Government-in-Exile paid for three nights’ accommodation at the Zambala Guest House, at a cost equivalent to approximately £50 per night (approximately £150 in total) based on the exchange rate at the time. 🔗
From 9 October to 13 October 2016 I was part of a cross party group delegation to Taiwan. The main purpose of this trip was to attend the National Day celebration, also to get to know Taiwan's political, economic, cultural, social developments, bilateral relations between Scotland and Taiwan, bilateral relations between Taiwan and China, and Taiwan's international participation. It was a comprehensive design aimed to let the MSPs know where Taiwan stands in East Asia and in the world, hoping that it could help to promote and strengthen the ties and exchanges between Scotland and Taiwan. During the trip we visited the capital city Taipei, in north Taiwan, as well as two other cities Taichung and Nantou, in central Taiwan. The cost of the trip was £6,000, which included round trip flights, meals, accommodation, transportation and tickets to cultural activities/official visits. All costs were met by the Taiwanese Government via their Representative in Scotland. The trip was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taipei Representative Office in the UK, 1 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7PE. I can confirm I received gifts of under £250 which were a miniature sculpture and a bottle of Taiwanese whiskey. 🔗
From 13 to 16 November 2025, I attended, by invitation, the Parliamentary Diabetes Global Network (PDGN) Advocacy Forum in Valletta, Malta. The estimated cost of the trip for two people was £1,500. This was funded by the PGDN, 44 Howard Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 4EA. PDGN is an organisation of parliamentarians who champion diabetes prevention, early diagnosis and the best treatments for all. 🔗
🆕New entry or subentry
From 15-25 May 2023 I visited New Dehli, Agra, and Ladakh in India to participate in the Generation Next Democracy Network Programme as part of the country’s G20 celebrations. This programme for an international delegation of 38 delegates included tours and introductions to important democratic institutions in India, meetings with elected officials and cultural experiences. The purpose was to educate those nominated by Consulates in their home countries about India’s democratic structures and culture. The costs of the visit were £989 for international flights, £1,613 for accommodation, £558 for domestic flights, and £200 for hospitality. The costs were met by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) (An agency of the Indian Government, at Azad Bhawan Rd, IP Estate, New Delhi, Delhi 110002). The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India involved in India's global cultural relations through cultural exchange with other countries. 🔗
🆕New entry or subentry
From 28 July 2019 and 2 August 2019, when I was a Member of the UK Parliament, I visited Beijing and Jinan, China, to participate in the 2019 Young Leaders Roundtable and to build UK-China understanding and partnership on environment and climate change issues. The costs of the visit were £1,586.50 for international flights, £292.74 for accommodation and £215.19 for transport. The costs were met by (a) The Great Britain China Centre (a UK Government non-departmental public body of 15 Belgrave Square, Belgravia, London SW1X 8PS) with sponsorship from Prudential Plc and China International Capital Corporation (investment banks); and (b) the All-China Youth Federation (a Chinese Government Youth Organisation of 10 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing). 🔗
