Mr Alistair Carmichael MP: votes, interests and costs
The Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland is Mr Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat), MP there since 7 June 2001.
Offices and committees
Mr Alistair Carmichael sits on 3 committees, according to the Parliament Members API.
Committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Liaison Sub-Committee on National Policy Statements | 11 June 2025 | Current |
| Liaison Committee (Commons) | 4 December 2024 | Current |
| Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee | 9 September 2024 | Current |
Earlier ministerial and shadow posts
| Post | Department | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State for Scotland | Scotland Office | 7 October 2013 | 8 May 2015 |
| Comptroller (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons) | HM Household | 12 May 2010 | 7 October 2013 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice) | Opposition Department | 11 July 2022 | 18 September 2024 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Home Affairs) | Opposition Department | 7 September 2020 | 18 September 2024 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Cabinet Office) | Opposition Department | 7 September 2020 | 10 July 2022 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Northern Ireland) | Opposition Department | 7 September 2020 | 18 September 2024 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) | Opposition Department | 6 January 2020 | 7 September 2020 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Exiting the European Union) | Opposition Department | 6 January 2020 | 7 September 2020 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) | Opposition Department | 7 February 2019 | 21 August 2019 |
| Liberal Democrat Chief Whip | Opposition Department | 16 June 2017 | 7 September 2020 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Northern Ireland) | Opposition Department | 16 June 2017 | 6 January 2020 |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Home Affairs) | Opposition Department | 29 July 2015 | 16 June 2017 |
Earlier committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Prison Media Bill | 15 May 2024 | 22 May 2024 |
| Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Bill | 2 February 2022 | 9 February 2022 |
| Local Government (Disqualification) Bill | 24 November 2021 | 1 December 2021 |
| Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union | 31 October 2016 | 3 May 2017 |
| Energy and Climate Change Committee | 8 July 2015 | 17 October 2016 |
| Members' Allowances | 9 February 2009 | 6 May 2010 |
| Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill (Joint Committee) | 1 May 2008 | 22 July 2008 |
| Consolidation etc. Bills (Joint Committee) | 25 March 2008 | 6 May 2010 |
| Scottish Affairs Committee | 28 January 2008 | 6 May 2010 |
| Public Accounts Committee | 12 July 2005 | 22 May 2006 |
| International Development Committee | 5 November 2001 | 26 February 2002 |
| Scottish Affairs Committee | 16 July 2001 | 12 July 2005 |
Source: Parliament Members API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 21ec8c3e0769.
Register of interests
Mr Alistair Carmichael has 5 entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests, the earliest registered on 12 October 2017 and the latest on 16 November 2021. By category: Miscellaneous (2), Land and property (within or outside the UK) (1), Shareholdings (1), Employment and earnings (1). Each entry is quoted as published, with its registration date; payments linked to an entry are listed under it.
Property in Islay, Argyll
- Date on which the land or property was acquired, or achieved registrable value: 2021-11-10
- Location of the land or property: Islay, Argyll
- A description of the property: Farmland including farm buildings and one house let as holiday accommodation, managed through Coillabus Farms
- Details of any other recipients of rental income: income paid to my father
- Date on which the property began generating rental income: 2021-11-10
- Country in which the land or property is located: United Kingdom
- Use of the land: Agricultural
Shares in Coillabus Farms
- Registrable threshold for this shareholding interest: (i) Shareholdings: over 15% of issued share capital
- Date on which the holding was acquired, or achieved registrable value: 2021-10-24
- Name of the company or partnership: Coillabus Farms
- Nature of the company or partnership's business: A firm which manages two farms and the letting of self-catering holiday accommodation on Islay.
An unpaid partner in Coillabus Farms.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2021-10-24
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
Member of the Advisory Board of the House Magazine
- Date the agreement started: 2021-05-12
- Name of the payer: Dods Group Ltd
Unremunerated Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2017-09-22
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
Source: Register of Members' Financial Interests API, read 26 October 2026. The register entry on UK Parliament.
Business costs (IPSA)
In 2024-25 Mr Alistair Carmichael's office spent £216,297 on staff, from a staffing budget of £250,820, according to IPSA. The figure for 2023-24 was £186,784. IPSA lists office spending of £36,337 in the same year. IPSA publishes each budget, the amount spent and the amount left (the remaining amounts are in IPSA's files); no total across budgets is published, so none is given here.
| IPSA figure | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing: spent | £216,297.12 | £186,783.99 | £168,831.91 |
| Office costs: spent | £36,337.40 | £39,988.60 | £28,466.96 |
| Accommodation: spent | £14,796.97 | £14,945.03 | £19,795.19 |
| Winding-up: spent | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Travel and subsistence (no cap): spent | £51,942.67 | £43,732.15 | £43,840.92 |
| Other costs (no cap): spent | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,354.50 |
Budgets set for 2024-25: office costs £43,420, staffing £250,820, accommodation £29,290 (Standard non-London area budget, plus an uplift of £10,400, granted following an application to IPSA; Standard non-London area budget; Standard budget for renting a property in the London area).
IPSA's CSVs for 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, read 15 October 2026; constituency as IPSA lists it: Orkney and Shetland CC.
Staff roles listed by IPSA, 2024-25
Office Manager (permanent part time), Chief of Staff (permanent full time), Senior Casework Team Leader/Manager (permanent full time), Caseworker (permanent part time), Parliamentary Assistant ×2 (permanent full time), Senior Executive Officer (permanent part time), Intern ×2 (fixed term full time) (IPSA CSV)
IPSA annual publications · All MPs' 2024-25 costs (table and CSV)
Votes in the Commons
Mr Alistair Carmichael is recorded voting in 317 divisions since 4 July 2024, according to the Commons Votes API. Of these, 19 were votes on statutory instruments or procedural motions, which are not listed below. The 30 most recent on bills and motions are listed here. On 21 October 2026 Mr Alistair Carmichael voted Aye on "Opposition day motion: Support for British farmers".
Source: Commons Votes API, read 26 October 2026. Only divisions in which a vote is recorded for the MP are counted. The full list on UK Parliament.
Written questions
The Written Questions API lists 23 written questions from Mr Alistair Carmichael since 4 July 2024. The latest 10 were addressed to Department for Work and Pensions, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office and 2 other departments.
Workplace Pensions
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of protections for the holders of defined benefit pensions.
United Arab Emirates: Fraud
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, a) what assessment he has made of the average time required to secure the recognition and enforcement in the United Arab Emirates of civil fraud judgments of the High Court o …
Economic Crime: United Arab Emirates
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, a) how many mutual legal assistance requests relating to the enforcement of civil fraud judgments have been made to the United Arab Emirates since 2022; b) in how many cases those requests have result …
Financial Services: United Arab Emirates
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, a) what role the enforceability of UK court judgments plays in the Government’s assessment of financial services cooperation and market access discussions with the United Arab Emirates; and b) whether the non-enforc …
Financial Services and Legal Profession: Fraud
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, a) what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the international competitiveness of UK financial and legal services of instances in which High Court fraud judgments are not enforced overseas; and b) whet …
Economic Crime: United Arab Emirates
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, a) how many asset recovery cases involving cooperation with the United Arab Emirates have resulted in funds being returned to UK victims since 2020; b) what metrics are used to measure the operational …
Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, published on 19 February 2026, for what reason the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will not be lau …
Nigeria: Democracy and Elections
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will raise with President Tinubu of Nigeria the safeguarding of democratic institutions and ensuring free and fair elections in Nigeria in 2027 during the his for …
Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set out when her Department's timetable for when (a) the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will open for applications; and (b) details of the (i) eligibility, (ii) applicatio …
Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the total value of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will be allocated to England in the 2026-27 financial year.
Source: Written Questions API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 770cc2ed75d8. Question wording as listed by the API, which gives the opening words of longer questions. All questions by Mr Alistair Carmichael.
2024 general election
At the 4 July 2024 general election Orkney and Shetland returned Mr Alistair Carmichael with a majority of 7,807: 11,392 votes, 55.1% of those cast, against 3,585 for Robert Leslie. Result as published: LD hold.
Commons Library results, read 14 October 2026 · Orkney and Shetland figures
Statements and pledges on this site
Official corrections
Records in which Alistair Carmichael corrected an answer or the Commons record, or which the UK Statistics Authority addressed to Alistair Carmichael:
- The UK Statistics Authority wrote to Alistair Carmichael MP about Asylum backlog figures
- The UK Statistics Authority wrote to Alistair Carmichael MP about displaced people
- The UK Statistics Authority wrote to Alistair Carmichael MP about use of official crime statistics by Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Home Office
Built 15 October 2026 from official records; register entries and votes are re-read on a rolling schedule. This page sets out what the record shows and gives no rating of the MP. Official UK Parliament page · All MPs · Something wrong? Tell us.