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Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)

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Alex Cole-Hamilton

Scottish Liberal Democrats

MSP for Edinburgh Western (Constituency) 2016 - present day

About Alex Cole-Hamilton

Contact details

Contact online

X (previously known as Twitter): @agcolehamilton

Facebook: Alex's facebook

Contact at the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

Phone: 0131 348 5821
Text relay calls welcome.

Contact at local office

151 St John's Road
Corstorphine
Edinburgh
EH12 7SD

Phone: 0131 334 1814
Text relay calls welcome.

Find out when the MSP's surgery times are on their website.

Committees

Alex is a member of 1 committee

Cross-party groups

Alex is a member of 11 cross-party groups

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Bangladesh

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Challenging Racial and Religious Prejudice

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Chronic Pain

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Diabetes

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Europe

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Housing

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Improving Scotland’s Health

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Long Covid

Co-Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Tibet

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Ukraine

Deputy Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Volunteering

Member

Parliamentary and Government Roles

Alex does not have any parliamentary or government roles

Party Roles

Alex has 6 party roles

Party Leader

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Party Spokesperson on External Affairs

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Party Spokesperson on Health

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Party Spokesperson on Social Care

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Party Spokesperson on the Constitution

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Party Spokesperson on the Drugs Emergency

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Previous roles

Alex has had 8 previous roles

Previous roles in cross-party groups are not included in this list.

06 May 2021 - 27 August 2021

Party Spokesperson on Sport

Scottish Liberal Democrats

29 May 2016 - 04 May 2021

Party Spokesperson on Health

Scottish Liberal Democrats

08 November 2016 - 04 May 2021

Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee

Substitute Member

06 February 2019 - 04 May 2021

Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Member

29 September 2016 - 04 May 2021

Equalities and Human Rights Committee

Deputy Convener

08 June 2016 - 04 May 2021

Health and Sport Committee

Member

16 June 2016 - 29 September 2016

Equal Opportunities Committee

Deputy Convener

08 June 2016 - 16 June 2016

Equal Opportunities Committee

Member

Register of interests

Alex'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.

Recent Activity

What was said

What Alex Cole-Hamilton 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: 12 June 2025

Fornethy Survivors

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD): "Will Colin Smyth take an intervention?"

Chamber meeting date: 12 June 2025

Migration

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD): "I also welcome Liz Smith’s tone in the debate, and I recognise what she said at the outset about racism and misinformation about the facts of immigration…

Chamber meeting date: 11 June 2025

Medical and Nursing Workforce

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD): "I am pleased to speak in the debate, although I am tired of saying that there is an NHS workforce crisis, as we do so repeatedly. It is a crisis, and that fact is self-evident to those who work in our NHS and those who rely on it…

Chamber meeting date: 10 June 2025

Care Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD): "I am interested in Katy Clark’s amendments because Liberals care passionately about freedom of information. However, I am also anxious about blurring the lines between public and private accountability…

Chamber meeting date: 10 June 2025

Care Reform (Scotland) Bill

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD): "In my first days as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, I was visited by John-Paul Marks, who at the time was permanent secretary of the Scottish civil service…

Votes

How Alex Cole-Hamilton has voted in Parliament

Find out how Alex Cole-Hamilton has voted recently.

Motion ref. S6M-17906.1

A Migration System that Works for Scotland

Submitted by: Liz Smith, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, June 12, 2025

Result 24 for, 84 against, 0 abstained, 21 did not vote

MSP voted against

Vote Defeated

Motion ref. S6M-17906.2

A Migration System that Works for Scotland

Submitted by: Michael Marra, North East Scotland, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, June 12, 2025

Result 19 for, 62 against, 27 abstained, 21 did not vote

MSP abstained

Vote Defeated

Motion ref. S6M-17906

A Migration System that Works for Scotland

Submitted by: Kate Forbes, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Supported by: Tom Arthur, Richard Lochhead, Paul McLennan, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Kaukab Stewart
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, June 12, 2025

Result 67 for, 42 against, 0 abstained, 20 did not vote

MSP voted for

Vote Passed

Motion ref. S6M-17895

Approval of SSI

Submitted by: Jamie Hepburn, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Result 85 for, 32 against, 0 abstained, 12 did not vote

MSP voted for

Vote Passed

Motion ref. S6M-17862

Planning

Submitted by: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Monday, June 9, 2025

Supported by: Foysol Choudhury, Katy Clark
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Result 91 for, 1 against, 21 abstained, 16 did not vote

MSP voted for

Vote Passed

Motions

Questions

Questions Alex Cole-Hamilton has asked

These are the questions that this MSP has asked in Parliament. It also includes any answer to those questions.

Question ref. S6W-37657

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 28 May 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the care experiences of people with gynaecological cancers, in light of reported findings that they are less likely to rate their overall cancer care positively compared with the national average."

Answered by Jenni Minto on 10 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-37656

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 28 May 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it is addressing any gap in information provision for people with gynaecological cancers, in light of reported findings that they are less likely to receive the information required to care for themselves at home."

Answered by Jenni Minto on 10 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-37655

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 28 May 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what the current average waiting times are for treatment for gynaecological cancers and how these compare with the waiting times for treatment for other types of cancer."

Answered by Jenni Minto on 10 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-38374

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 5 June 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to replace the Urban Waste Water Treatment (Scotland) Regulations 1994, in light of the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, which came into force in the EU in January 2025, and, if so, within what timescale it plans to do so."

Answer expected on 19 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-38375

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 5 June 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether SEPA will begin to proactively publish overflow monitoring data from sewerage assets that are managed under Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts."

Answer expected on 19 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-38386

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 5 June 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how it currently oversees the work of non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos; how they are held accountable for their decision-making, and whether it plans to review any such arrangements."

Answer expected on 19 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-38377

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 5 June 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how many new event duration monitors have been fitted to sewage overflows in 2025, and how many monitors in total have been installed as a part of the Improving Urban Waters Route Map."

Answer expected on 19 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-38376

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 5 June 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Helensburgh Wastewater Treatment Works recording 1,722 spills in 2024 meets the requirement for sewage spills to only happen in exceptional circumstances, in light of the European Court of Justice and Environmental Standards Scotland reportedly emphasising this requirement."

Answer expected on 19 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-38389

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 5 June 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide financial support to families who wish to move a family member's ashes, in light of reports that this can cost between £5,000 and £10,000, or more if there is an objection to planning permission."

Answer expected on 19 June 2025

Question ref. S6W-38373

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 5 June 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish up-to-date, clear and specific guidance about the exceptional circumstances in which it is permissible for storm overflows to spill, in light of Environmental Standards Scotland reportedly stating that the current guidance limits effective implementation and application of the law."

Answer expected on 19 June 2025

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