Brendan O'Hara MP: votes, interests and costs
Brendan O'Hara represents Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber in the House of Commons for Scottish National Party and has done since 7 May 2015. Current post: Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Cabinet Office), held since 10 July 2024.
Offices and committees
The Members API lists 3 current posts for Brendan O'Hara.
Ministerial and shadow posts
| Post | Department | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Cabinet Office) | Opposition Department | 10 July 2024 | Current |
| Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport) | Opposition Department | 10 July 2024 | Current |
| Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Middle East) | Opposition Department | 10 July 2024 | Current |
Earlier ministerial and shadow posts
| Post | Department | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Foreign Affairs) | Opposition Department | 4 September 2023 | 30 May 2024 |
| SNP Chief Whip | Opposition Department | 17 January 2023 | 4 September 2023 |
| Shadow SNP Spokesperson (International Development) | Opposition Department | 10 December 2022 | 17 January 2023 |
| Shadow SNP Deputy Spokesperson (Cabinet Office) | Opposition Department | 1 February 2021 | 17 January 2023 |
| Shadow SNP Spokesperson (International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution) | Opposition Department | 1 March 2020 | 17 January 2023 |
| Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Inclusive Society) | Opposition Department | 1 July 2018 | 1 March 2020 |
| Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Culture and Media) | Opposition Department | 20 June 2017 | 17 May 2018 |
| Shadow SNP Westminster Group Leader (Defence) | Opposition Department | 20 May 2015 | 20 June 2017 |
Earlier committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on the Overseas Territories | 14 November 2023 | 30 May 2024 |
| Foreign Affairs Committee | 12 September 2023 | 30 May 2024 |
| Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform Bill) | 2 November 2022 | 29 November 2022 |
| Elections Bill | 15 September 2021 | 26 October 2021 |
| DCMS Sub-Committee on Disinformation | 12 March 2019 | 6 November 2019 |
| Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee | 11 September 2017 | 6 November 2019 |
Source: Parliament Members API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 250a8460dfc6.
Register of interests
Entries in the register for Brendan O'Hara, as the MP registered them: Visits outside the UK (2), Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources (2), Miscellaneous (1), Family members employed (1), Shareholdings (1). Latest registration 22 June 2026. Each entry is quoted as published, with its registration date; payments linked to an entry are listed under it.
International visit to Germany between 03 June 2026 and 05 June 2026
- Purpose of the visit: As chair of the APPG on Greenland I was invited by the Korber Stifung to attend their annual Korber Policy Game in Neuhardenberg, Germany. Along with politicians, security experts, diplomats and academics from the UK, Denmark/Greenland, Norway and Germany, we were there to discuss and scenario-plan a European response to a potential crisis in the Arctic.
- Date Member left the UK: 2026-06-03
- Date Member returned to the UK: 2026-06-05
- Associated All Parliamentary Group (APPG), where relevant: APPG Greenland
Enersoft International Limited - £900.00
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: Single ticket and matchday hospitality at Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund
- Value of the benefit: £900.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2026-01-20
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2026-01-20
- Name of the donor: Enersoft International Limited
- Status of the donor: Company
- Name of the donor company: Enersoft International Limited
Enersoft International Ltd - £625.00
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: Two tickets and hospitality for myself and a guest to attend the League Cup Final at Hampden Park
- Value of the benefit: £625.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2025-12-14
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2025-12-14
- Name of the donor: Enersoft International Ltd
- Status of the donor: Company
- Name of the donor company: Enersoft International Ltd
International visit to Thailand between 30 November 2025 and 06 December 2025
- Purpose of the visit: The purpose of the trip was ascertain the progress for refugees, including a lack of recognised refugee status, limited access to adequate healthcare and education, and restrictions on free religious worship.
- Date Member left the UK: 2025-11-30
- Date Member returned to the UK: 2025-12-06
- Associated All Parliamentary Group (APPG), where relevant: APPG Freedom of Religion or Belief
A Director of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. This is an unpaid role.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2021-04-26
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
Catherine O'Hara employed
- Job title or role: Office Manager
- Pattern of working hours: Full time
- Name of the person employed: Catherine O'Hara
- Who the family member is directly related to: Related to member directly
- Nature of relationship: Spouse
Shares in Oh! Television (not trading)
- Registrable threshold for this shareholding interest: (i) Shareholdings: over 15% of issued share capital
- Name of the company or partnership: Oh! Television (not trading)
- Nature of the company or partnership's business: Television production company
Source: Register of Members' Financial Interests API, read 28 October 2026. The register entry on UK Parliament.
Business costs (IPSA)
IPSA, the body that sets and pays MPs' business costs, records staffing spending of £250,784 for Brendan O'Hara in 2024-25 against a budget of £250,820. The figure for 2023-24 was £229,940. IPSA lists office spending of £21,349 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 | £250,784.07 | £229,940.11 | £208,830.89 |
| Office costs: spent | £21,348.79 | £24,893.65 | £25,224.78 |
| Accommodation: spent | £28,737.93 | £25,448.01 | £23,502.41 |
| Winding-up: spent | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Travel and subsistence (no cap): spent | £55,978.28 | £42,502.68 | £43,440.80 |
| Other costs (no cap): spent | £1,198.69 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
Budgets set for 2024-25: office costs £33,020, staffing £250,820, accommodation £29,290 (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: Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber CC.
Staff roles listed by IPSA, 2024-25
Office Manager (permanent full time), Senior Casework Team Leader/Manager (permanent full time), Communications Officer (permanent part time), Senior Parliamentary Assistant (permanent full time), Senior Caseworker (permanent full time), Senior Policy Researcher (permanent part time), Caseworker (fixed term full time), Research Officer (fixed term full time) (IPSA CSV)
IPSA annual publications · All MPs' 2024-25 costs (table and CSV)
Votes in the Commons
Brendan O'Hara is recorded voting in 187 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 14 October 2026 Brendan O'Hara voted No on "Opposition Day motion: MoD Bicester and illegal migrants".
Source: Commons Votes API, read 25 October 2026. Only divisions in which a vote is recorded for the MP are counted. The full list on UK Parliament.
Written questions
Brendan O'Hara has tabled 105 written questions since 4 July 2024, according to the Written Questions API. The latest 10 were addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office, Scotland Office.
Colombia: Armed Conflict
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that funding is protected for programmes supporting women who have suffered conflict-related sexual violence in Colombia.
Georgia: Overseas Investment
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of levels of UK foreign direct investment into Georgia, in the context of reported targ …
Local Government: Elections
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Viginum entitled Rokh Solis: Analysis of an informational modus operandi that targeted the municipal electi …
Vietnam: Religious Freedom
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made recent representations to her Vietnamese counterpart on freedom of religion or belief for independent religious communities in that country.
Cost of Living: Scotland
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the cost of living in Scotland.
Gaza: Overseas Students
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Home Office and Department for Education on establishing and funding a safe, facilitated departure scheme for the 2026 cohort of stud …
Gaza: Overseas Students
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government will support a facilitated departure of students from Gaza with fully funded scholarships to universities in Scotland and across the UK this year.
Jimmy Lai
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Six-Monthly Report on Hong Kong published on 26 March 2026, what diplomatic steps she is taking to secure the release of Jimmy Lai following reports tha …
Honduras: Indigenous Peoples
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Honduras published in April 2026, what representations her Department has made to the g …
Honduras: Overseas Trade
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Honduras, entitled "Our Determination Outweighs Our Fear": Agrarian conflict and the cr …
Source: Written Questions API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 9fa9f435a914. Question wording as listed by the API, which gives the opening words of longer questions. All questions by Brendan O'Hara.
2024 general election
Brendan O'Hara won Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber at the general election of 4 July 2024 with 15,582 votes (34.7%), a majority of 6,232 over Amanda Hampsey (Conservative). Result as published: SNP hold.
Commons Library results, read 14 October 2026 · Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber figures
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.