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Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)

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Paul O'Kane

Scottish Labour

MSP for West Scotland (Region) 2021 - present day

About Paul O'Kane

Contact details

Contact online

Contact at the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

Phone: 0131 348 5942
Text relay calls welcome.

Contact at local office

Phone: 0141 887 5111
Text relay calls welcome.

Committees

Paul is a member of 2 committees

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Member

Cross-party groups

Paul is a member of 14 cross-party groups

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Building Bridges with Israel

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Co-Operatives

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Deafness

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Diabetes

Co-Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Dyslexia

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on India

Deputy Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Learning Disability

Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on LGBTI+

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Long Covid

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Poverty

Convener

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Science and Technology

Member

Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Social Work

Deputy Convener

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

Paul does not have any parliamentary or government roles

Party Roles

Paul has 3 party roles

Party Spokesperson on Equalities

Scottish Labour

Party Spokesperson on Social Justice

Scottish Labour

Party Spokesperson on Social Security

Scottish Labour

Previous roles

Paul has had 5 previous roles

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

22 June 2021 - 25 April 2023

Health Social Care and Sport Committee

Deputy Convener

22 September 2021 - 25 April 2023

Equalities Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Substitute Member

31 May 2021 - 10 April 2023

Deputy Party Spokesperson on Public Health

Scottish Labour

31 May 2021 - 10 April 2023

Deputy Party Spokesperson on Social Care

Scottish Labour

17 June 2021 - 22 June 2021

Health Social Care and Sport Committee

Member

Register of interests

Paul'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 Paul O'Kane 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: 3 April 2025

Social Security Scotland (Effectiveness)

Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab): "An important part of the effectiveness of Social Security Scotland is the uptake of Scottish benefits…

Chamber meeting date: 3 April 2025

Heat in Buildings Bill

Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab): "The principles in the heat in buildings bill were almost the only thing that the Climate Change Committee praised the SNP Government for in what was a damning indictment of the lack of progress on net zero…

Chamber meeting date: 3 April 2025

Aarhus Convention and Access to Environmental Justice

Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab): "I am pleased to close on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party in this debate on the Aarhus convention…

Chamber meeting date: 2 April 2025

Motion of Condolence

Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab): "The book of Wisdom in the Old Testament says: “Length of days is not what makes age honourable, nor number of years the true measure of life; understanding, this is grey hairs, untarnished life, this is ripe old age…

Chamber meeting date: 2 April 2025

Spring Statement 2025 (Impact on Scotland)

Paul O’Kane: "Is Alexander Stewart seriously suggesting that giving a pay rise to 300,000 Scots—the lowest-paid Scots—is simply a matter of red tape…

Votes

How Paul O'Kane has voted in Parliament

Find out how Paul O'Kane has voted recently.

Motion ref. S6M-17059.1

Business Programme

Submitted by: Miles Briggs, Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Result 31 for, 60 against, 26 abstained, 11 did not vote

MSP abstained

Vote Defeated

Motion ref. S6M-17059

Business Programme

Submitted by: Jamie Hepburn, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Result 88 for, 28 against, 0 abstained, 12 did not vote

MSP voted for

Vote Passed

Motion ref. S6M-16789

Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill

Submitted by: Liz Smith, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, March 27, 2025

Result 64 for, 1 against, 53 abstained, 10 did not vote

MSP voted for

Vote Passed

Motion ref. S6M-16960

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Financial Resolution

Submitted by: Shona Robison, Dundee City East, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Result 90 for, 30 against, 0 abstained, 9 did not vote

MSP not voted

Vote Passed

Motion ref. S6M-16942

Approval of SSI

Submitted by: Jamie Hepburn, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Result 70 for, 0 against, 50 abstained, 9 did not vote

MSP not voted

Vote Passed

Motions

Questions

Questions Paul O'Kane has asked

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

Question ref. S6W-36732

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 9 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee on 5 December 2024, on what date and at what time the official ministerial decision to mitigate the two-child limit was recorded in its electronic Records and Document Management system, and who…

Answer expected on 7 May 2025

Question ref. S6W-36670

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 8 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government when it last met officials from the Department for Work and Pensions regarding work to progress the delivery of automatic split payments of universal credit, as set out in part 6, section 94 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018."

Answer expected on 6 May 2025

Question ref. S6W-36669

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 8 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government how many people currently in receipt of Adult Disability Payment have been granted an indefinite award."

Answer expected on 6 May 2025

Question ref. S6W-36672

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 8 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the steps that it has taken to share the necessary information with the Department for Work and Pensions to support the progress of the Scottish Government’s 2017 policy commitment to introduce automatic split payments of universal credit in Scotland."

Answer expected on 6 May 2025

Question ref. S6W-36671

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 8 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates that automatic split payments of universal credit in Scotland, as it committed to in 2017, will be delivered by the end of the current parliamentary session, and, if so, by what date."

Answer expected on 6 May 2025

Question ref. S6W-36514

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 3 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it has allocated any funding to support the Scottish Assembly for the financial year 2025-26."

Answer expected on 1 May 2025

Question ref. S6W-36512

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 3 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides support to the Scottish Assembly, and if this is the case, what kind of support it provides."

Answer expected on 1 May 2025

Question ref. S6W-36453

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 2 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the current law around lasting powers of attorney."

Answer expected on 30 April 2025

Question ref. S6W-36454

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 2 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) regarding powers of attorney."

Answer expected on 30 April 2025

Question ref. S6W-36455

Asked by: O'Kane, Paul, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 2 April 2025

"To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether current rules for obtaining powers of attorney are sufficient in preventing any abuse of such powers."

Answer expected on 30 April 2025

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