Photo © Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Joe Long
Scottish Labour · Member for Mid Scotland and Fife (region)
At a glance Joe Long is a Scottish Labour regional Member of the Scottish Parliament for Mid Scotland and Fife (region).
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 2,903 Holyrood divisions on record. A rebellion is a vote against the way most of their own party voted; free votes, where no party line applies, are left out. At Holyrood an abstention is a deliberate recorded vote, distinct from not voting at all.
Party-loyalty figures are our own analysis of the official voting records (recorded votes only; they do not describe the formal whip). How we work this out.
Committees
Voting record
The most recent divisions Joe Long voted in. For, Against and Abstain are as recorded.
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | Against |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | For |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | Abstain |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | Against |
| 25 Jun 2026 | Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population | For |
| 24 Jun 2026 | Scotland Needs Reform: Five Years to 2031 | For |
| 24 Jun 2026 | Scotland Needs Reform: Five Years to 2031 | Abstain |
| 24 Jun 2026 | National Security (State Threats) Bill – UK Legislation | For |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change | Against |
| 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 | For |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change | Against |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill - UK Legislation | For |
| 17 Jun 2026 | Suspension of Standing Orders | 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 8 Jun 2026)
Gifts1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
Heritable property1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
Interest in shares1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
Overseas visits1
- No registrable interests. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
Remuneration and related undertaking1
- Until 8 May 2026, when I resigned, I worked as Director of Practice and Innovation for Scottish Autism, a charity and third sector service provider (of Hilton House, Whins Road, Alloa FK13 3SA). I spent 37 hours per week on this role. I received remuneration of between £95,001 and £100,000, which included a vehicle allowance, and the use of a laptop and mobile phone. I took unpaid leave in the final weeks of the election campaign. On 28 May 2026 I received a final payment of £1,661.39 in lieu of accrued annual leave. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
Voluntary6
- I am a member of the British Association of Slavonic and East European Studies. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
- I am a member of the Labour Campaign for International Development. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
- I am a member of the Fabian Society. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
- I am a member of the Scottish Midland Co-operative Society (Scotmid). (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
- I am a member of the Co-operative party. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
- I am a member of UNISON trade union. (lodged 8 Jun 2026)
Questions
Joe Long has tabled 8 questions in the Scottish Parliament.
To ask the Scottish Government what, if any, plans it has to introduce a phased transition towards ensuring that all lo…
To ask the Scottish Government what, if any, plans it has to introduce a phased transition towards ensuring that all locum consultant psychiatrist posts are held by doctors on the General Medical Council Specialist Register, including support for existing locum doctors to obtain the necessary qualifications and remain within the NHS workforce.
Awaiting an answer.
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce national guidance on which clinicians are entitled to use …
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce national guidance on which clinicians are entitled to use the title “consultant psychiatrist”, including in locum roles, and when any such guidance will be issued to NHS boards.
Awaiting an answer.
To ask the Scottish Government what its latest assessment is of vacancy rates for consultant psychiatrist posts across …
To ask the Scottish Government what its latest assessment is of vacancy rates for consultant psychiatrist posts across NHS Scotland, and what impact current levels of vacancies are having on patient (a) care and (b) safety, workforce sustainability and service delivery.
Awaiting an answer.
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the UK Foundation medical training programme, what information it has regardi…
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the UK Foundation medical training programme, what information it has regarding whether (a) any reserve list places are being made available in Scotland to applicants and (b) the full quota of places in Scotland, including the 72 additional places previously announced, has been made available to eligible doctors.
Awaiting an answer.
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people with learning disabilities and compl…
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people with learning disabilities and complex needs who remain in inappropriate hospital placements, eight years on from its report, Coming Home.
Awaiting an answer.
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason over a third of CAMHS referrals have reportedly not been accepted in the…
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason over a third of CAMHS referrals have reportedly not been accepted in the last 12 months.
Awaiting an answer.
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to self-referral pathways to support good men…
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to self-referral pathways to support good mental health and wellbeing.
Answer · Maree Todd · 16 Jun 2026
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of empowering people to manage their mental health and wellbeing, and that access to trustworthy digital advice, resources and psychological therapies is critical to this.Our wellbeing website, Mind to Mind, offers mental health and wellbeing advice, as well as signposting information to wider mental health support, using short videos from people with mental health conditions. NHS Inform also holds self-help guides on mental health conditions to help people recognise what they may be struggling with and providing guidance on when to seek appropriate support for their needs.Over 2025-26 we invested £3.7 million in Breathing Space- a free, confidential phone and webchat service for anyone over 16 who is struggling with their mental health and wellbeing. We also invested £11 million to the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub which provides compassionate advice and support to people seeking urgent help with their mental health (with around 10,000 calls per month).An expansion of the Hub launched in December 2025, to provide a national pathway to brief psychological interventions for those would benefit from early treatment but would not meet the criteria to access local specialist secondary care mental health services. This is providing treatment from professionals appropriately trained in psychological practice. It is helping to improve early identification of the need for support and timely access to early intervention support to prevent mental health issues escalating, support for life events, and to help people cope with physical health conditions.We also continue to expand the range of self-referral digital therapies for people with anxiety, depression or insomnia, and have increased access to internet enabled cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) so people can speak to a mental health professional online. There were over 77,000 referrals to digital therapies last year.Alongside digital support, it is positive to see new models of accessible mental health support in communities and we are committed to expanding access to community-based mental health hubs over this Parliamentary term.Finally, as we work with partners to design and implement the service renewal framework across mental health, we will reflect on our current self-referral offers and consider where else we can provide safe and effective self-referral support.
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when unpaid carers will be able to access a right t…
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when unpaid carers will be able to access a right to breaks, as set out in the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.
Answer · Alison Thewliss · 8 Jun 2026
The date for this legislation going live has yet to be decided. Our consultation on the approach to implementation closed on 22 May and we aim to publish a report on responses within 12 weeks.Preparation for implementation is being supported by the Right to Breaks Implementation Steering Group, involving unpaid carer representatives as well as statutory and third sector organisations.In the meantime, local authorities already have responsibilities to promote a variety of short breaks in their areas and carers who meet local eligibility criteria can continue to access short break support in accordance with their rights under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. Additionally, we are providing £13m in 2026-27 for the voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund which enables unpaid carers to benefit from a wide variety of easy-access short breaks.
Speeches
Recent things Joe Long has said in the chamber and in committee, from the Official Report.
25 Jun 2026 National Health Service Capital Projects (draft)
People in Kincardine, in Fife, desperately need a new health centre. The existing practice was condemned as not fit for purpose in 2016. A decade on, can the cabinet secretary provide any indication of when we might see the first wave of c…
25 Jun 2026 General Question Time (draft)
There was also an ask for legislation that worked across policy silos. When will the long-promised learning disabilities, autism and neurodivergence bill be introduced, and how will it provide that whole-system accountability?
25 Jun 2026 General Question Time (draft)
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests regarding my former employment at Scottish Autism.At the 2021 election, one of the key asks of campaigners for new legislation for neurodivergent people was for more systemi…
23 Jun 2026 General Question Time (draft)
Notwithstanding the progress that has been made, the figures that were published last week by Public Health Scotland are stark. There are 29 adults with learning disabilities in inappropriate out-of-area placements, and 67 people are stuck…
23 Jun 2026 General Question Time (draft)
My entry in the register of members’ interests will show that I was employed by Scottish Autism until my election in May. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people with learning disabilities and com…
17 Jun 2026 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism (Diagnosis) (draft)
I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that, until 8 May, I was employed at Scottish Autism.I welcome the opportunity to debate this topic and I am grateful to Helen McDade for bringing the motion to the cha…
17 Jun 2026 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism (Diagnosis) (draft)
I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that, until 8 May, I was employed at Scottish Autism.I welcome the opportunity to debate this topic and I am grateful to Helen McDade for bringing the motion to the cha…
17 Jun 2026 Portfolio Question Time (draft)
A common reason for referral to CAMHS is for neurodevelopmental assessment. Combined neurodevelopmental pathways have been trialled as part of the Scottish strategy for autism, which ended in 2021. Subsequently, there have been pilots of n…
17 Jun 2026 Portfolio Question Time (draft)
A common reason for referral to CAMHS is for neurodevelopmental assessment. Combined neurodevelopmental pathways have been trialled as part of the Scottish strategy for autism, which ended in 2021. Subsequently, there have been pilots of n…
17 Jun 2026 Portfolio Question Time (draft)
I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that I was employed by Scottish Autism until 8 May.To ask the Scottish Government for what reason over a third of CAMHS referrals have reportedly not been accepted in t…
16 Jun 2026 Partnership with the Third Sector (draft)
I am wrapping up, so I will not take any more interventions.I hope that the proposed measures will be implemented without delay. There is the political will across the chamber for that to happen, as we have heard today. The Liberal Democra…
16 Jun 2026 Partnership with the Third Sector (draft)
I thank the member for his intervention and for the Liberal Democrat amendment, which recognises that.As I said, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. We have a fair funding pilot going on, but the third sector is very used to pi…
16 Jun 2026 Partnership with the Third Sector (draft)
That was going to be my next point and has been well made by the member, as it was in Holly Bruce’s contribution earlier. The costs borne by the third sector do not come just from the pay of front-line staff, although we might be forgiven …
16 Jun 2026 Partnership with the Third Sector (draft)
Absolutely: I fully recognise and agree with that.There certainly seems to be cross-party consensus about the need for multiyear funding. We have repeatedly heard that from across the chamber today. I know from my own experience that year-…
16 Jun 2026 Partnership with the Third Sector (draft)
The register of members’ interests will show that, until 8 May, I was employed as a director of Scottish Autism, which is a third sector organisation. It is precisely because of that background that I have been heartened to see the cabinet…
11 Jun 2026 Public Service Reform (Staff, Service Users and Local Communities) (draft)
As with the consideration of the impact on future generations and the commitment to prevention, I hope that, when we talk about public sector reform, we can build in serious consideration of the impact on the third sector.
11 Jun 2026 Public Service Reform (Staff, Service Users and Local Communities) (draft)
I note that the register of members’ interests will show that I worked until 8 May for Scottish Autism, which is a third sector organisation.As Michael Marra laid out at the beginning of the debate, Scottish Labour fully recognises the nee…
10 Jun 2026 Decision Time (draft)
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to vote. I would have voted no.
10 Jun 2026 Decision Time (draft)
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to vote. I would have voted no.
3 Jun 2026 National Health Service (draft)
I see we have some takers.At that point, my four-year-old chimed in with, “Or you could call it a disco.” That gave me the opportunity to explain that, yes, we could then spend several hours debating whether it should be called a dance par…
Seat & career
- Mid Scotland and Fife (region) Regional MSP 7 May 2026 – present
Contact & offices
Parliamentary
The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP
Source: this MSP's official Scottish Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.