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Carson, Finlay

Everything we have on one MSP — voting record, motions, questions, committee work, allowances, Hansard contributions, registered interests and career history — pulled together on a single page.

Carson, Finlay
MSP profile

Carson, Finlay

Sitting Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Galloway and West Dumfries

Politically, you're most like Hamilton, Rachael Con — similarity 84.8/100.

Compare with… Speeches Motions & Q+A
Divisions voted in
1,854
last on 24 Mar 2026
Party alignment
99.5%
0.5% rebellion
Attendance
91.7%
168 "Not Voted" of 2,022 divisions present
Motions lodged
408
871 questions · 1 unanswered
Hansard contributions
9,437
1,350 chamber · 8,087 committee
Allowances claimed
£355,405
2,310 transactions
Most-discussed topics in Hansard
bill ·213 stage ·211 crofting ·166 land ·166 court ·166 subordinate ·94 legislation ·94 salmon ·70 farming ·70 climate ·33 change ·33 plan ·33
Recent motions & questions
Recent rebellions

Divisions where they voted against their party's majority position.

Motion success

Of the motions they've lodged that went to a vote, how often did the chamber agree.

Lodged
408
Carried
0
Defeated
0
Not divided
408
Closest voting allies

MSPs who voted the same way most often across shared divisions.

Furthest apart on votes

MSPs they vote against most often.

MSPs like this one

Composite of voting agreement, sponsorship overlap, and Hansard topic affinity. Weighted 50 / 25 / 25.

Voice fingerprint

Words and phrases this MSP uses far more often than the chamber average (TF-IDF over their Hansard contributions).

finlay galloway wishart beatrice beatrice shetland carson finlay galloway west division carson dumfries con ariane highlands west dumfries burgess ariane iar snp alasdair h-eileanan
Voting drift across sessions

Rebellion rate (vs party majority) per session.

0.3%
S5 · Con
0.6%
S6 · Con
Career arc

Unified timeline: party joinings, seat changes, committee appointments, ministerial roles.

  1. ⌂
    Started representing Galloway and West Dumfries
    07 May 2026
  2. +
    Joined Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
    07 May 2026
  3. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
    08 Apr 2026
  4. ⌂
    Stood down from Galloway and West Dumfries (Dissolution)
    08 Apr 2026
  5. –
    Left Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
    08 Apr 2026
  6. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs and Islands Committee as Convener
    01 Feb 2023
  7. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
    01 Feb 2023
  8. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee as Convener
    22 Jun 2021
  9. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
    22 Jun 2021
  10. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee as Member
    17 Jun 2021
  11. ⌂
    Started representing Galloway and West Dumfries
    06 May 2021
  12. +
    Joined Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
    06 May 2021
  13. ☷
    Left Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee
    04 May 2021
  14. ⌂
    Stood down from Galloway and West Dumfries (Dissolution)
    04 May 2021
  15. –
    Left Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
    04 May 2021
  16. ☷
    Left Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee
    25 Feb 2020
  17. ☷
    Left Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee
    25 Feb 2020
  18. ☷
    Joined Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee as Substitute Member
    18 Sep 2019
  19. ☷
    Joined Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee as Deputy Convener
    17 Sep 2019
  20. ☷
    Left Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee
    17 Sep 2019
  21. ☷
    Joined Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee as Substitute Member
    29 Jun 2017
  22. ☷
    Joined Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee as Member
    08 Jun 2016
  23. ⌂
    Started representing Galloway and West Dumfries
    05 May 2016
  24. +
    Joined Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
    05 May 2016
Who backs their motions most
Whose motions they back most
Recent contributions to the Official Report
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    Members will be aware that it is snowing in some parts of Scotland, so heating is incredibly important. Has the Government assessed the scale of hardship among…
  • Remote, Rural and Island Communities (Sustainability) Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    Rural Scotland does not need more recognition of the problem; it needs action. We need policies that reflect rural realities, investment that matches rural nee…
  • Remote, Rural and Island Communities (Sustainability) Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    I pay tribute to my colleagues who will not return next session, particularly Oliver Mundell, who has spoken out so well for Dumfriesshire, John Mason and my d…
  • Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill Chamber
    24 Mar 2026
    To go back to the member’s previous point, other regions in Scotland need to recognise that, in rural communities and local authority areas such as Dumfries an…
  • Climate Change Plan Chamber
    24 Mar 2026
    Rural communities across Galloway and rural Scotland are facing a surge of unwanted onshore wind farm and renewable proposals, industrialising our rural landsc…
Committee & government roles

Committee

Allowance — vs. party average (2025)

Per-category claim total for this MSP compared to the average per-MSP total inside their party for the same year. Positive = above party average.

Category MSP Party avg Difference
Office costs £7,720 £4,419 +£3,302
Edinburgh accommodation £10,069 £7,365 +£2,704
MSP & staff travel £2,150 £1,949 +£201
Engagement costs £8,694 £9,857 −£1,163
Registered interests

58 total · showing most recent.

  • Remuneration and related undertaking · 09 Jun 2021
    I am a partner in J and F Carson, a farming and property letting partnership (of Conchieton Business Centre, Conchieton, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4TA). I received £13,000 in drawings from the partnership i…
  • Remuneration and related undertaking · 09 Jun 2021
    I am a Director of Conchieton Solutions, an IT consultancy firm (of Conchieton Business Centre, Conchieton, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4TA). I received dividends of £2,000 on 1 June 2020 and £2,000 in June 2…
  • Remuneration and related undertaking · 09 Jun 2021
    Until 30 April 2023, when I resigned, I was a partner in J and F Carson, a farming and property letting partnership (of Conchieton Business Centre, Conchieton, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4TA). I received £13…
  • Remuneration and related undertaking · 09 Jun 2021
    Until 30 April 2023, when I resigned, I was a Director of Conchieton Solutions, an IT consultancy firm (of Conchieton Business Centre, Conchieton, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4TA). I received dividends of £2,…
  • Voluntary · 09 Jun 2021
    On 23 February 2018 I and my daughter attended the Scotland v France rugby match at Murrayfield as guests of BT Openreach. In addition to tickets for the match the hospitality included food and drink…
  • Voluntary · 09 Jun 2021
    From 14 to 16 August 2018 I travelled to Norway on a study visit to explore Deposit Return Schemes. The costs of the visit were approximately £689, £220 for hotel, £319 for flights and around £150 fo…
  • Voluntary · 09 Jun 2021
    On 9 March 2019 I attended the Scotland v Wales rugby match at Murrayfield as guests of BT Scotland. In addition to the ticket for the match, the hospitality included food and drink. I understand tha…
  • Voluntary · 09 Jun 2021
    On 23 February 2018 I and my daughter attended the Scotland v France rugby match at Murrayfield as guests of BT Openreach. In addition to tickets for the match the hospitality included food and drink…
Career timeline

Party

Seats