Martin Whitfield
Scottish Labour
MSP for South Scotland (Region) 2021 - present day
About Martin Whitfield
Contact details
Contact online
Email: [email protected]
Website: martinwhitfieldmsp.com
X (previously known as Twitter): @_MWhitfield
Facebook: Martin's facebook
Contact at the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
Phone: 0131 348 5827
Text relay calls welcome.
Committees
Martin is a member of 2 committees
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Substitute Member
Cross-party groups
Martin is a member of 1 cross-party group
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on St Andrew's Day
Member
Parliamentary and Government Roles
Martin has 2 parliamentary and government roles
Parliamentary Bureau
Member
Conveners Group
Member
Party Roles
Martin has 3 party roles
Business Manager
Scottish Labour
Deputy Party Spokesperson on Children
Scottish Labour
Deputy Party Spokesperson on Young People
Scottish Labour
Previous roles
Martin has had 3 previous roles
Previous roles in cross-party groups are not included in this list.
31 May 2021 - 10 April 2023
Deputy Party Spokesperson on Lifelong Learning
Scottish Labour
31 May 2021 - 10 April 2023
Deputy Party Spokesperson on Youth Employment
Scottish Labour
17 June 2021 - 22 June 2021
Standards Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
Member
Register of interests
Martin's register of interests
MSPs must provide details of their financial interests in the Register of Interests. They make an initial statement on becoming or being returned as an MSP. This is then updated with any changes they provide.
Here is the register for Martin Whitfield. The date of their initial statement was 08 June 2021.
Remuneration and related undertaking
Until 6 May 2021, I was employed by East Lothian Council (of John Muir House, Brewery Park, Haddington, East Lothian EH41 3HA) as a primary teacher. I worked approximately 35 hours a week and received remuneration of between £40,001 and £45,000 per annum.
Gifts
On 23 November 2023 I attended the Herald Scottish Politician of The Year Awards as a guest of Newsquest Media Group LTD (publisher of newspaper of Loudwater Mill, Station Road, Loudwater, High Wycombe, Bucks HP10 9TY) at Prestonfield Hotel in Edinburgh. The gift was to me as an individual and that the value including VAT was £360. [Registered 12 December 2023]
On Saturday 5 February 2022 I attended a rugby match at Murrayfield, as a guest of BT Group Plc (a telecommunications company of BT Centre, 81 Newgate Street, London, EC1A 7AJ). The value of the gift amounted to £325 for both the ticket and hospitality. [Registered 9 February 2022]
Overseas visits
No registrable interests
Controlled transactions
No registrable interests
Heritable property
No registrable interests
Interest in shares
No registrable interests
Voluntary
I am a Member of EIS.
I was paid £75 by Savanta on 21 November 2022 for completing a survey. [Registered 12 December 2022]
I am a Trustee and Chair of the Burke-Veitch Scholarship which provides funds to allow children / young people to attend drama school. I have no financial interests arising from this role.
I am a Trustee of Garden Elf, a small charity working with schools on gardening. I have no financial interests arising from this role.
I received a bottle of whisky from the Scotch Whisky Association, the nominal value for the COP26 Limited Edition Blended Scotch Whisky to be £30, although it is not for commercial sale. [Registered 22 December 2021]
I was paid £170 by You Gov on 11 November 2021 for completing a survey. [Registered 2 December 2021]
I was paid £100 by You Gov on 27 July 2021 for completing a survey.
On 5 December 2023 I received a gift of a food hamper valued at approximately £150 from Community Windpower Ltd (Godscroft Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 6XU). The gift was to me as an individual. [Registered 12 December 2023]
I was paid £100 by You Gov on 21 November 2022 for completing a survey. [Registered 12 December 2022]
On the 27 April 2022, I attended the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2022, as a guest of Young Scot. The hospitality had a value of £150. [Registered 4 May 2022]
On 26 February 2022 I was the guest of NatWest Group at Scotland France 6 Nations Rugby Game. The value of the gift was ticket valued at £111.50 and hospitality of £35.00. The combined value of this gift and hospitality is below the threshold for registration in the Gifts category. [Registered 2 March 2022]
I was paid £150 from Ipsos MORI for their Annual Survey of MSPs on 22 December 2021. I donated this fee to charity. [Registered 22 December 2021]
Between 12 June and 19 June 2022 I travelled to Jersey to head an Electoral Observation Mission on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region (CPA BIMR). The purpose of the visit was to observe the Island election as BIMR did in 2018. An initial report was published at the end of the visit with a full report being prepared with the mission's observations and recommendations. The total cost of the visit, met by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, was £3,000. [Registered 3 August 2022]
Recent Activity
What was said
What Martin Whitfield has said in Parliament
These are the official transcripts of what was said by this MSP in the chamber and at committee meetings. You'll find the topic discussed and how many times this MSP has contributed to the discussion.
Chamber meeting date: 30 May 2024
NHS Physiotherapy Workforce
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab): "Is not one of the roles of physiotherapy to allow people to return to work that much faster—to stop their being trapped in a period of sickness in which they cannot work…
Chamber meeting date: 30 May 2024
Further Education Sector (Industrial Relations)
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab): "In his statement, the minister mentioned the criticism that the Strathesk Resolutions report levelled at previous interventions. It is right to say that it described those as “last-minute”…
Chamber meeting date: 30 May 2024
NHS Physiotherapy Workforce
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab): "Is not one of the roles of physiotherapy to allow people to return to work that much faster—to stop their being trapped in a period of sickness in which they cannot work…
Chamber meeting date: 30 May 2024
Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab): "I extend apologies from Pauline McNeill to you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and to members for being inconvenienced and unable to speak in person this afternoon. I hope that members will accept her apologies…
Chamber meeting date: 30 May 2024
Women’s and Girls’ Rights in Afghanistan
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab): "I extend my thanks to Michelle Thomson for securing this particularly important debate…
Votes
How Martin Whitfield has voted in Parliament
Find out how Martin Whitfield has voted recently.
Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill
Submitted by: Angela Constance, Almond Valley, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Supported by: Siobhian Brown
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, May 30, 2024
Result 116 for, 0 against, 0 abstained, 13 did not vote
MSP voted for
Vote Passed
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, May 30, 2024
Result 18 for, 90 against, 0 abstained, 21 did not vote
MSP voted for
Vote Defeated
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, May 30, 2024
Result 29 for, 97 against, 0 abstained, 3 did not vote
MSP voted for
Vote Defeated
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, May 30, 2024
Result 19 for, 89 against, 0 abstained, 21 did not vote
MSP voted for
Vote Defeated
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, May 30, 2024
Result 20 for, 89 against, 0 abstained, 20 did not vote
MSP voted for
Vote Defeated
Motions
Motions made by Martin Whitfield in Parliament
Find out what motions Martin Whitfield has submitted recently.
Questions
Questions Martin Whitfield has asked
These are the questions that this MSP has asked in Parliament. It also includes any answer to those questions.
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many nurseries have closed since 2016, broken down by local authority area."
Answer expected on 12 June 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many nurseries have cancelled their registrations with the Care Inspectorate since 2016."
Answer expected on 12 June 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what early warning systems are in place to identify any nurseries that are at risk of closure due to financial difficulties or staffing shortages."
Answer expected on 12 June 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what long-term strategies are being developed to ensure the financial viability and sustainability of nurseries."
Answer expected on 12 June 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 10 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how early retirement has impacted the number of active teachers, and what steps are being taken to address any potential teacher shortages arising from any such trend."
Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 May 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 10 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what options are available for early retirement under the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS), and how any such options impact the final pension amount that a teacher receives."
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 10 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government whether the recent teacher pay settlements impact the future value of teacher pensions, and, if so, what steps are being taken to mitigate any potential negative effects."
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 10 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures the smooth transition for teachers moving between the Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme (STSS) and the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme 2015 (STPS 2015), in order to avoid any loss of pension benefits."
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 10 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government, in light of rising living costs, whether it is considering any measures to increase the pension payments for current retirees who are members of the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS)."
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 10 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what the projected impact is of the recent teacher pay settlements on the long-term sustainability of the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS)."
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
See all of Martin Whitfield's questions submitted in Parliament