Photo © Scottish Parliament
At a glance John Swinney is a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 2,903 Holyrood divisions on record; John Swinney did not vote in 567.
Voting record
The most recent divisions John Swinney voted in. For, Against and Abstain are as recorded.
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | For |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | Against |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | Against |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | Against |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | Against |
| 24 Jun 2026 | National Security (State Threats) Bill – UK Legislation | For |
| 24 Jun 2026 | Scotland Needs Reform: Five Years to 2031 | For |
| 24 Jun 2026 | Scotland Needs Reform: Five Years to 2031 | For |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill - UK Legislation | For |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change | For |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change | For |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change | Against |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change | Against |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change | Against |
| 17 Jun 2026 | Appointment of Law Officers | For |
Register of interests
From the Scottish Parliament's Register of Interests. Shown as registered; nothing is added or interpreted.
Controlled transactions1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 10 Jun 2026)
Gifts1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 10 Jun 2026)
Heritable property1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 10 Jun 2026)
Interest in shares1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 10 Jun 2026)
Overseas visits1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 10 Jun 2026)
Remuneration and related undertaking1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 10 Jun 2026)
Voluntary1
- I was, until my resignation on 25 May 2026, a Director of the Logierait Bridge Company, which is a private company that maintains a bridge in my constituency for public access. I have now taken up a role as Honorary Patron of the company, which is a non-remunerated position. (lodged 10 Jun 2026)
Questions
John Swinney has tabled 262 questions in the Scottish Parliament.
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Comm…
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner were previously employed by (a) Police Scotland, (b) any other police service and (c) the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
Answer · Angela Constance · 29 Apr 2024
Of the 95 staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner:
a) 41% are former police officers, from Police Scotland or the Scottish legacy police forces.
b) 4% were previously employed by the Royal Military Police.
c) 2% were previously employed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commission…
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, and in what roles.
Answer · Angela Constance · 29 Apr 2024
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner employs 95 members of staff as detailed in the following table.
PIRC Team
Number of Staff
Roles
Operations
1
Director of Operations (1)
Legal Services
1
Head of Legal Services (1)
Reviews and Policy
17
Head of Reviews and Policy (1)
Senior Reviews Officers (4)
Review Officers (10)
Administrators (2)
Investigations
62
Head of Investigations (1)
Senior Investigators (4)
Deputy Senior Investigators (10)
Investigators (39)
Technical Investigators (2)
Crime & Performance Analyst (1)
Reports Manager (1)
Senior Administrator (1)
Administrators (3)
Corporate Services
14
Head of Corporate Services (1)
Executive Assistant Commissioner (1)
Communications Manager (1)
Communications Officer (2)
Corporate Services Manager (1)
Corporate Services Officer (1)
Information Manager (1)
Information Coordinator (1)
Finance Manager (1)
Finance Officer (1)
HR Officer (1)
HR Administrator (1)
Training Coordinator (1)
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Comm…
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner were previously serving police officers.
Answer · Angela Constance · 29 Apr 2024
The number of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is 95, of which 39 (41%) are former police officers.
To ask the Scottish Government when the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer will be complet…
To ask the Scottish Government when the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer will be completed.
Answer · Neil Gray · 5 Apr 2024
The 2024 Clinical Review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer has commenced, with clinical peer review sessions running from April to October 2024. A consultation period will then follow to allow stakeholders across NHS Scotland to comment on the final version. A revised Guideline is expected to be published early 2025.
To ask the Scottish Government whether the necessary genetic tests are available in all NHS board areas to enable the p…
To ask the Scottish Government whether the necessary genetic tests are available in all NHS board areas to enable the prescribing of Olaparib to treat prostate cancer.
Answer · Neil Gray · 2 Apr 2024
Prostate BRCA1/2 genetic testing to support access to Olaparib is available to all eligible patients in Scotland. The testing has been implemented with funding from Scottish Government in 2023-24.
In Scotland genomic testing is provided through a network of four NHS laboratories which are commissioned through NHS National Services Division (NSD), part of NHS National Services Scotland. The laboratories work in conjunction with the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine (SSNGM) to deliver a directory of genomic tests for people across Scotland as a whole and to ensure that testing is embedded within end-to-end clinical pathways.
To ask the Scottish Government whether consideration is being given, as part of the review of the Scottish Referral Gui…
To ask the Scottish Government whether consideration is being given, as part of the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, to risk factors such as family history and ethnicity in improving the early detection of prostate cancer.
Answer · Neil Gray · 5 Apr 2024
A wealth of evidence is being collated and analysed as part of the 2024 Clinical Review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, including from key partners Cancer Research UK and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. All factors that are relevant in the context of symptoms suspicious of cancer based on available evidence, that could support primary care decision-making, will be considered in the Guideline review. The prostate peer review session (PRS), as part of the Review, is scheduled for May 2024.
To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the treatment Olaparib has been prescribed in each NHS board area …
To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the treatment Olaparib has been prescribed in each NHS board area since it was approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) in 2021.
Answer · Jenni Minto · 16 Apr 2024
Neither the Scottish Government nor Public Health Scotland (PHS) hold this information centrally. The majority of data held by PHS on Olaparib (Lynparza®) is on the quantity issued within hospital settings rather than on the number of prescriptions, only a very small number of prescriptions for Olaparib (Lynparza®) are held within their primary care prescribing dataset.
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any implications of recent flooding events for wild s…
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any implications of recent flooding events for wild salmon populations.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon · 9 Apr 2024
The Scottish Government has not given specific consideration to the implications of recent flooding on wild salmon populations. High river flows potentially wash out salmon eggs from nests on the riverbed and displace juvenile fish downstream. However, research suggests that salmon are well adapted to natural flow variability, including floods in natural river systems. Current evidence suggests a periodic trend towards more extreme flows in some Scottish rivers. With climate change scenarios, there is potential for further increases in high flows which may impact on salmon.
Heavily modified rivers are likely to be less resilient to potential disturbance. Restoration of natural morphological processes and channel characteristics could improve resilience. The Wild Salmon Strategy covers five priority areas, including ‘improving the condition of rivers and giving salmon free access to cold, clean water.’ The Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) specifically encourages projects to restore wildlife and habitats.
Motions lodged
| 16 Jun 2026 | Appointment of Law Officers | 0 sig. |
| 21 May 2026 | First Minister's Appointment of Scottish Ministers | 1 sig. |
| 21 May 2026 | First Minister's Appointment of Junior Scottish Ministers | 1 sig. |
| 20 May 2026 | Ambitious for Scotland | 3 sig. |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Motion of Thanks | 6 sig. |
| 9 Feb 2026 | Motion of Condolence | 6 sig. |
Speeches
Recent things John Swinney has said in the chamber and in committee, from the Official Report.
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
No. I am going to get on with delivering for the people of Scotland.
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
Oh, it is all very funny to Mr Kerr. He is always laughing at things. Mr Kerr was laughing at the substantial points made by Daniel Johnson in the debate in which Mr Kerr trivialised the attacks on Muslim members of our community, which is…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
Until now, the only person who has ever accused me of being long-winded is my 15-year-old son, who regularly tells me to shorten my answers in Parliament. In the interest of currying favour with the Presiding Officer, I will keep this answ…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
I lead a Government that believes in and follows the rule of law. So, when issues are of a legally contested nature, we do the proper thing, which is to allow the legally contested debate to take place and then, at the conclusion of that d…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
This is one of the issues that I had in mind, in becoming First Minister after the election, when I said that there was an opportunity for us to make progress across the parliamentary chamber. A lot of the points that Mr Sarwar has made to…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
Mr Sarwar raised a couple of points. In the budget that has just been put into practice, the Government increased core college funding by 10 per cent, to £764 million. We have recognised some of the financial challenges that exist in our c…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
I associate myself entirely with the comments that Mr Sarwar made about the Muslim community and the necessity for all of us to stand together in the face of the spreading of hate in our society. In the disputatious world of politics, I am…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
Gillian Mackay asks the Government to preside over two very different things. On one hand, she asks me to enable local authorities to take decisions that will be cognisant of and compatible with the country’s energy requirements. However, …
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
The first thing that I must say is that I have to compartmentalise my comments and not comment on the Auchtertool application, because it is live.I appreciate the urgency of the general policy elements of the question, because a number of …
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
As I said last week, I understand the concerns about the environmental impact and the impact on energy resources that have been raised here, which emerge from the proliferation of applications for hyperscale data centres. I totally underst…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
He called out Russell Findlay’s“robotic delivery and … lack of empathy”,and said that he thought that Mr Findlay would“consign the party to the wilderness”.On the basis of the Scottish parliamentary elections, Mr Findlay is well on the roa…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
A much respected former Conservative MSP, Edward Mountain, described Russell Findlay as a “disaster” and his leadership as “catastrophic”—as we have just seen. Interruption.
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
Russell Findlay is going on about the need for an inquiry into all those issues. This particular case must be the first time in living memory that Russell Findlay, who has championed the interests of victims, wants there to be an inquiry i…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
First, I congratulate Douglas Lumsden on his election to the House of Commons. It will be an exciting moment for him, and I wish him well in his arduous responsibilities, particularly in tabling written parliamentary questions. Laughter. I…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
I am advised that the figures for the proportion of people who returned to custody were 13 per cent in the first tranche of the prisoner release scheme and 5 per cent in the second tranche. That is not quite the same issue that Mr Cole-Ham…
25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
I associate myself unreservedly Mr Cole-Hamilton’s comments about the feelings in the Muslim community. On Monday, I visited the Broomhouse mosque along with Simita Kumar and the Annandale Street mosque in Edinburgh with Ben Macpherson. Of…
23 Jun 2026 Correction (draft)
At col 26, para 6, line 3—Original text—The budget for 2026-27 provides the SFRS with an additional £23.8 million compared with the previous year, bringing its total budget to £535 million, which is a 5.7 per cent increase.Corrected text—T…
23 Jun 2026 Decision Time (draft)
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My device would not connect again. I would have voted yes.
23 Jun 2026 Decision Time (draft)
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My device would not connect. I would have voted no.
23 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)
The Government has taken a number of steps to strengthen social care, not least of which has been to increase the payments made to social care staff, so that social care is an attractive profession.There is a substantive point to the issue…
Seat & career
- Perthshire North Constituency MSP 7 May 2026 – present
- Perthshire North Constituency MSP · Dissolution 6 May 2021 – 8 Apr 2026
- Perthshire North Constituency MSP · Dissolution 5 May 2016 – 4 May 2021
- Perthshire North Constituency MSP · Dissolution 5 May 2011 – 23 Mar 2016
- North Tayside Constituency MSP · Dissolution 3 May 2007 – 22 Mar 2011
- North Tayside Constituency MSP · Dissolution 1 May 2003 – 2 Apr 2007
- North Tayside Constituency MSP · Dissolution 6 May 1999 – 31 Mar 2003
Allowances
2025 (latest published)
Source: Scottish Parliament (published ~1 year in arrears)
Contact & offices
Parliamentary
The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP
Constituency
17-19 Leslie Street, Blairgowrie, PH10 6AH
Source: this MSP's official Scottish Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.