Foysol Choudhury
Scottish Labour
MSP for Lothian (Region) 2021 - present day
About Foysol Choudhury
Contact details
Contact online
Email: [email protected]
X (previously known as Twitter): @FoysolChoudhury
Facebook: Foysol's facebook
Contact at the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
Phone: 0131 348 6761
Text relay calls welcome.
Contact at local office
Phone: 0131 348 6761
Text relay calls welcome.
Committees
Foysol is a member of 3 committees
Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
Substitute Member
Cross-party groups
Foysol is a member of 17 cross-party groups
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Bangladesh
Convener
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Cancer
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Challenging Racial and Religious Prejudice
Convener
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Co-Operatives
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Culture and Communities
Convener
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Europe
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Fair Trade
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Human Trafficking
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Improving Scotland’s Health
Co-Convener
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Independent Convenience Stores
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on India
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on International Development
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Migration
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Pakistan
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Palestine
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Tourism
Member
Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Volunteering
Co-Convener
Parliamentary and Government Roles
Foysol does not have any parliamentary or government roles
Party Roles
Foysol has 3 party roles
Deputy Party Spokesperson on Culture
Scottish Labour
Deputy Party Spokesperson on Europe
Scottish Labour
Deputy Party Spokesperson on International Development
Scottish Labour
Previous roles
Foysol had 1 previous role
Previous roles in cross-party groups are not included in this list.
17 June 2021 - 25 April 2023
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Member
Register of interests
Foysol'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 Foysol Choudhury. The date of their initial statement was 10 June 2021.
Remuneration and related undertaking
No registrable interests
Gifts
On 26 August 2023, I received two tickets for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo as guests of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (Charities) LIMITED (Private company limited by guarantee without share capital, Edinburgh Tattoo Office, 1-3 Cockburn Street, EH1 1QB). The combined value of the tickets was £830. [Registered 22 September 2023]
Overseas visits
From 7 October to 13 October 2023 I visited Delhi, India, as part of a delegation of the Cross Party Group on India. The purpose of the visit was to engage with FinTech and Culture organisations and senior politicians within the Indian government. The total costs of the visit, including flights, hotel accommodation, food and transport, amounted to £2,402.16 and were paid by Amit Shah, Director of Flight Path Travel (a tour and travel agency which sells, flights, hotels and tour packages; Office No. 1, Jubilee Business Centre, 211 Kingsbury Road, Kingsbury, London, NW9 8AQ). [Registered 3 November 2023]
From 21 to 25 December 2023 I travelled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the invitation of Non-Residential Bangladeshi (NRB) World and Business America Magazine to be a guest speaker at the Global Business Conference. The purpose of the conference was to gather Non-Residential Bangladeshi leaders, businessmen and expats from all around the world to participate in seminars, workshops, keynote speeches to discuss how to strengthen business relations with Bangladesh across the world and learn about Bangladesh’s products, initiatives, investment climate, and help improve Bangladesh’s business relations internationally. The main theme of the conference was ‘Discover Higher Industry & Economic Development’. I met with President of NRB world, Mohammed Shahiduzzaman; Business America Magazine Country director, Sanjida Afreen and Managing editor Enamul Haque Enam; various business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians and stakeholders from numerous nations. The total cost of the visit, including flights (£865), hotel accommodation (£1,415), food (£250), and boat trip (£80) amounted to £2,610 and was met by Business America Magazine Inc. (Magazine Publication company, B2B Networking Platform, US Office; of 19 Sunburst Dr, Deer Park, NY 11729, New York, USA) and NRB World (non-profit, non-political and service-oriented organization which brings expatriate Bangladeshi professionals from all countries of the world; of 19 Sunburst Dr, Deer Park, NY 11729, New York, USA). [Registered 31 January 2024]
From 17 to 26 November 2023 I was part of a cross-party delegation of MSPs who visited the People’s Republic of Bangladesh at the invitation of the High Commission of Bangladesh to the UK based in London (28 Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5JA) and Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh. The purpose of the visit was to engage with senior politicians within the Bangladeshi government, organisations, academics and business leaders to strengthen relationships between Bangladesh and Scotland, especially on issues of joint importance such as climate change, education, support for refugees and, fair pay and conditions for garment workers, and to build skill and knowledge sharing opportunities which will benefit both our nations. The delegation held meetings with Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh; A.K. Abdul Momen MP, Foreign Affairs Minister; Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury MP, Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament; Md. Shahab Uddin MP, Minister of Environment Forest & Climate Change; Professor Dr AKM Zakir Hossain, Vice-Chancellor of Kurigram Agricultural University; Md. Atiqul Islam, The Mayor of Dhaka North City; Dinner with Mahbub Ali MP, Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism; and breakfast with Matt Cannell, British Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director to Bangladesh. The Delegation visited the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar; Sylhet Women’s Medical College Hospital; Nabiganj and Habiganj; the medical camp in Biswanath’s Amtoil Village, and NRB Hospital in Sylhet. In the course of these visits, the delegation held meetings with Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, Mayor of Sylhet; Chamber of Commerce of Sylhet and other business leaders from the region; university academic and administrative heads, and Ataur Rahman Selim, Mayor of Habiganj. The total cost of the visit was £3,683.57. Of the total costs, £2,300 for return flights from Edinburgh to Dhaka and a one-way internal flight from Sylhet to Dhaka was met by Workpermitcloud Limited (legal recruitment experts; of the Gherkin Level 28, 30 Street Mary Axe, London, England, EC3A, Company Registration: 12909694) and £1,082.92 for hotel accommodation, £240.65 for food and transport, £60 for internal return flights Dhaka to Cox Bazar were met by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh (State Ministry which oversees foreign relations of Bangladesh; of Segunbagicha, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh) and Sylhet City Corporation (Sylhet City Council; of Nagar Bhaban, 3100, Bangladesh). I also received gifts, which including welcome crests, posters and books. The values of the items are below the threshold for registration in the gifts category. [Registered 14 December 2023]
Controlled transactions
No registrable interests
Heritable property
No registrable interests
Interest in shares
Until 17 January 2023, I owned 100% of the issued share capital of West Preston Street Ltd, a licensed restaurant, with a market value of £15,000. [Amended interest 3 May 2023, Ceased interest 3 May 2023]
I own 11,000 ordinary shares in Universal Koba Corporation Ltd, a licensed restaurant, representing 10% of the issued share capital, with a market value of £11,000.
Voluntary
I am Chair of Edinburgh and Lothian Regional Equality Council (ELREC). [Amended interest 3 May 2023]
I am General Secretary of the Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurants UK Limited.
I am a member of UNITE the Union.
I am Chairperson of Bangladeshi Samity Edinburgh.
I was a Board Member of Edinburgh Mela. [Amended interest 3 May 2023, Ceased interest 3 May 2023]
I am the General Secretary of the Council of Bangladeshis in Scotland.
I am a member of the Co-operative Party. [Registered 15 December 2021]
Recent Activity
What was said
What Foysol Choudhury 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: 2 May 2024
Action on Climate Change (Target Removal)
6. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab): "To ask the First Minister what recent discussions the Scottish Government has had with environmental groups and communities regarding how it plans to deliver strong action on climate change, following the removal of the 2030 climate target…
Chamber meeting date: 2 May 2024
Unborn Victims of Violence
Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab): "In 2018, the Scottish Parliament passed its Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill. It was said at that time to be landmark legislation and a momentous day for survivors of domestic abuse in Scotland. In that case, we should be proud of the Parliament’s work…
Chamber meeting date: 1 May 2024
Local Government Debt
Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab): "I recently attended an event hosted by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and discussed the priorities that were set out in its five-year plan in 2022…
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee meeting date: 30 April 2024
Judicial Factors (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab): "The committee has been considering a suggestion from the Faculty of Procurators of Caithness that there is a need to set out a specific complaints process in the legislation. It is proposed that the complaint would first be to the Accountant of Court…
Chamber meeting date: 25 April 2024
Workplace Racial Abuse
Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab): "Yesterday, I chaired a meeting of campaigners and business representatives on anti-racism in the workplace…
Votes
How Foysol Choudhury has voted in Parliament
Find out how Foysol Choudhury has voted recently.
WASPI: Women Against State Pension Inequality
Submitted by: Humza Yousaf, Glasgow Pollok, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Supported by: Paul McLennan, Emma Roddick, Shirley-Anne Somerville
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Result 75 for, 0 against, 52 abstained, 2 did not vote
MSP abstained
Vote Passed
WASPI: Women Against State Pension Inequality
Submitted by: Paul O'Kane, West Scotland, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Result 21 for, 95 against, 11 abstained, 2 did not vote
MSP voted for
Vote Defeated
WASPI: Women Against State Pension Inequality
Submitted by: Douglas Ross, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Result 31 for, 74 against, 21 abstained, 3 did not vote
MSP abstained
Vote Defeated
Motion of No Confidence
Submitted by: Anas Sarwar, Glasgow, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Friday, April 26, 2024
Supported by: Jackie Baillie, Claire Baker, Jeremy Balfour, Neil Bibby, Sarah Boyack, Alexander Burnett, Foysol Choudhury, Katy Clark, Alex Cole-Hamilton, Pam Duncan-Glancy, Tim Eagle, Rhoda Grant, Mark Griffin, Dr. Sandesh Gulhane, Rachael Hamilton, Daniel Johnson, Monica Lennon, Richard Leonard, Douglas Lumsden, Michael Marra, Liam McArthur, Pauline McNeill, Carol Mochan, Edward Mountain, Paul O'Kane, Willie Rennie, Alex Rowley, Colin Smyth, Paul Sweeney, Annie Wells, Tess White, Martin Whitfield, Beatrice Wishart
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Result 58 for, 70 against, 0 abstained, 1 did not vote
MSP voted for
Vote Defeated
Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill
Submitted by: Gillian Mackay, Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party. Date lodged: Monday, April 29, 2024
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Result 123 for, 1 against, 0 abstained, 5 did not vote
MSP voted for
Vote Passed
Motions
Motions made by Foysol Choudhury in Parliament
Find out what motions Foysol Choudhury has submitted recently.
Questions
Questions Foysol Choudhury has asked
These are the questions that this MSP has asked in Parliament. It also includes any answer to those questions.
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 2 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government how many visitors each VisitScotland iCentre had in 2023."
Answer expected on 17 May 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 22 April 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of non-emergency kidney patient transport service provision for patients travelling to and from in-centre dialysis appointments across each NHS board, and when it made any such assessment."
Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 May 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 22 April 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the average time that kidney patients wait for non-emergency patient transport services to and from in-centre dialysis appointments."
Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 May 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 1 May 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to incorporate the ownership and management of community assets in urban areas into its Land Reform (Scotland) Bill."
Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 17 April 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the development of a national framework for school swimming following the School Swimming Phase 1 Pilots in 2023."
Answered by Maree Todd on 1 May 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29 April 2024
"To ask the First Minister what recent discussions the Scottish Government has had with environmental groups and communities regarding how it plans to deliver strong action on climate change, following the removal of the 2030 climate target."
Taken in the Chamber on 2 May 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 10 April 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what funding it is currently providing for anti-racism education, and what organisations it is funding that carry out anti-racism education."
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 April 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 28 March 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government, when it is designing new policies, how it ensures that an assessment is made of any potential impact that a policy may have on older people."
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 April 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 28 March 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the power of attorney rights of care home residents are upheld."
Answered by Maree Todd on 24 April 2024
Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 11 April 2024
"To ask the Scottish Government whether the initial fire crews that attended the Breadalbane Street fire in Edinburgh on 14 March 2024 were relieved from the incident in order to decontaminate, and, if it is the case that they were not relieved, what the duration of their attendance was."
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 April 2024
See all of Foysol Choudhury's questions submitted in Parliament