Photo © Scottish Parliament

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Finlay Carson

Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries

At a glance Finlay Carson is a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Galloway and West Dumfries.

Votes cast1,914

Attendance66%

Voted For787

Voted Against1,051

Voted with party100%

Rebellions0

Abstained3

Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 2,903 Holyrood divisions on record; Finlay Carson did not vote in 171. 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.

Committees1 membership

Rural Affairs Committee Member

Voting recordlatest 15 shown

The most recent divisions Finlay Carson 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	For
25 Jun 2026	Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population	Against
25 Jun 2026	Achieving a Sustainable Prison Population	For
24 Jun 2026	National Security (State Threats) Bill – UK Legislation	For
24 Jun 2026	Scotland Needs Reform: Five Years to 2031	Against
24 Jun 2026	Scotland Needs Reform: Five Years to 2031	Against
23 Jun 2026	Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill - UK Legislation	Against
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
23 Jun 2026	Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change	Against
23 Jun 2026	Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change	For
17 Jun 2026	Appointment of Law Officers	For
17 Jun 2026	Affordable Bus Fares	Against

See full voting record

From the Scottish Parliament's Register of Interests. Shown as registered; nothing is added or interpreted.

Controlled transactions1

No registrable interests. (lodged 3 Jun 2026)

Gifts1

No registrable interests. (lodged 3 Jun 2026)

Heritable property1

No registrable interests. (lodged 3 Jun 2026)

Interest in shares1

No registrable interests. (lodged 3 Jun 2026)

Overseas visits1

No registrable interests. (lodged 3 Jun 2026)

Remuneration and related undertaking1

No registrable interests. (lodged 3 Jun 2026)

Voluntary1

No registrable interests. (lodged 3 Jun 2026)

Source: Register of Interests on parliament.scot.

Questions905 tabled

Finlay Carson has tabled 905 questions in the Scottish Parliament.

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions, correspondence or exchanges of information it has had in the last five… 22 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions, correspondence or exchanges of information it has had in the last five years with (a) the UK Government, (b) the Met Office, (c)  the Civil Aviation Authority, (d) academic institutions and (e) other organisations regarding cloud seeding, geoengineering, solar radiation management or the deliberate atmospheric release of substances from aircraft over Scotland.

Awaiting an answer.

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports of concerns, complaints or incidents it has received regarding the roll… 26 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports of concerns, complaints or incidents it has received regarding the rollout or operation of the Vision 3 system in GP practices, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Angela Constance · 23 Jul 2026

Scottish Government do not hold records of the number of reports of concerns, complaints or incidents regarding the rollout or operation of the Vision 3 system broken down by health board area.The Scottish Government is aware of concerns raised by practices and representative bodies, including through correspondence, ministerial correspondences and representations from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). The Scottish Government has also received Parliamentary Questions on these matters and continues to engage with PSD Scotland about the issues being raised.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the contractual arrangements for the Vision 3 system, in light of… 26 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the contractual arrangements for the Vision 3 system, in light of reported concerns raised by GP practices about the system’s functionality, usability and impact on workload and patient care.

Answer · Angela Constance · 23 Jul 2026

A contract was signed in 2022, its Initial Term ends in August 2029 and appropriate governance (Public Services Delivery Scotland Contract Approval Board) will consider extending or replacing at that time. In the meantime, the functional specifications and Service Levels achievements continue to be monitored, and the KPIs reviewed, by existing governance groups to ensure that the Vision system is managed and maintained efficiently and safely.

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any patient safety implications arising from the rollout … 26 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any patient safety implications arising from the rollout of the Vision 3 system, including in relation to system integration, ease of access to clinical information, any delays in processing patient information and any increase in administrative burden.

Answer · Angela Constance · 23 Jul 2026

As with all major digital programmes, risks relating to patient safety, system integration, access to clinical information and administrative impacts are assessed and actively managed throughout the programme lifecycle.Public Services Delivery Scotland continues to work closely with health boards, GP practices and the supplier to monitor issues raised during migrations and system use. Where concerns are identified, they are reviewed through established governance processes and appropriate mitigations are put in place to support the continued delivery of safe and effective patient care.

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment was carried out, prior to contract award, of the functionality, reliabil… 26 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment was carried out, prior to contract award, of the functionality, reliability, integration capability and clinical usability of the Vision 3 system in modern general practice settings.

Answer · Angela Constance · 23 Jul 2026

During the procurement process, supplier responses were assessed through a series of scoring exercises involving Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), including GPs, nurses, pharmacists, practice managers, health board facilitators, IT specialists and information governance experts. Functional and non-functional requirements were reviewed, tested and validated by both clinical and administrative users to ensure they met the agreed specification. Evidence of compliance was assessed and approved by relevant experts, and all requirements were accredited before migrations commenced.

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the approach taken by other UK administrations in rel… 26 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the approach taken by other UK administrations in relation to GP clinical IT systems, including any decisions to move away from Vision-based systems.

Awaiting an answer.

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it undertook with GPs, practice managers, reception staff and other pr… 26 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it undertook with GPs, practice managers, reception staff and other primary care professionals prior to the procurement and rollout of the Vision 3 system.

Answer · Angela Constance · 14 Jul 2026

Between 2017 and 2018, a multidisciplinary group of subject matter experts (SMEs) worked to define the requirements for a future GP clinical system. This group included GPs, nurses, pharmacists, practice managers, health board facilitators, and specialists in IT and information governance.By February 2019, following structured evaluation and scoring involving the SME group, Vision was one of three suppliers appointed to a Scottish framework agreement.SMEs remain members of governance groups supporting the implementation of the migration programme.

To ask the Scottish Government what procurement process was followed in selecting the Vision 3 system as a GP  cli… 26 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what procurement process was followed in selecting the Vision 3 system as a GP  clinical IT system, and what other systems were considered as part of that process.

Answer · Angela Constance · 23 Jul 2026

The GPIT procurement was undertaken through a formal, competitive procurement process led by National Services Scotland (now Public Services Delivery Scotland), in line with European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) requirements. The process was supported by a wide range of Subject Matter Experts, including GPs, nurses, pharmacists, practice managers, health board facilitators, IT specialists and information governance experts, who helped develop and assess the system requirements.Three suppliers met the criteria for inclusion on the Scottish GP IT framework: Cegedim/INPS (Vision), Optum (EMIS) and Micro test/EVA Technologies. However, Micro test withdrew from the framework in 2021 and EMIS withdrew in 2022. As a result, Vision became the only remaining supplier on the framework and is currently the only GP clinical system available through that national procurement arrangement.

See all questions

Motions lodged422 lodged

10 Jul 2026	Recognising 30 Years of Service by PIRSAC Volunteer Gavin Lockhart	9 sig.
24 Jun 2026	Reverend Alex Cairns Appointed MBE in The King's Birthday Honours	15 sig.
22 Jun 2026	Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change	0 sig.
22 Jun 2026	Dumfries and Galloway College Recognised for Excellence in Learning and Student Success	12 sig.
15 Jun 2026	South of Scotland Horse Trials, Kirkcudbrightshire	3 sig.
9 Jun 2026	Congratulations to Suzy Rook on Historic Arctic Swim and Inspiring Fundraising Efforts	14 sig.

See all motions

Speechesfrom the Official Report

Recent things Finlay Carson has said in the chamber and in committee, from the Official Report.

25 Jun 2026 First Minister’s Question Time (draft)

Shameful deflection.

23 Jun 2026 Decision Time (draft)

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was not able to log in. I would have voted no.