Information about Western Isles (scottish Parliament Constituency)

Western Isles Scottish Parliament county constituency
Western Isles shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Created:	1999
MSP:	Alasdair Allan
Party:	Scottish National Party
Council area:	Na h-Eileanan Siar

The Western Isles is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Electoral region

See also Highlands and Islands Scottish Parliament region

The other seven constituencies of the Highlands and Islands electoral region are Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Moray, Orkney, Ross, Skye and Inverness West and Shetland.

The region covers most of Argyll and Bute council area, all of the Highland council area, most of the Moray council area, all of the Orkney council area, all of the Shetland council area and all of Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Constituency boundaries

The Western Isles constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, the name of the Westminster (House of Commons) constituency was changed to Na h-Eileanan an Iar.

The Holyrood constituency covers Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Western Isles council area).

Geographically, the constituency consists of the Outer Hebidean islands. The major islands include Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra. Because of the remoteness of the constituency from the rest of Scotland, and the difficulties involved in getting from island to island, there is a significantly smaller electorate than in the mainland Scottish Parliament constituencies.^[1].

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1999	Alasdair Morrison	Labour
	2003
	2007	Alasdair Allan	Scottish National Party

Election results

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Western Isles
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	%
		Alasdair Allan	6,354	46.6	+5.4
		Alasdair Morrison	5,667	41.6	+5.4
		Ruaraidh Ferguson	852	6.3	-2.7
		Dave Petrie	752	5.5	+2.2
Majority			687	5.0	+0.6
Turnout			13,625	61.8
	gain from		Swing	5.4

Scottish Parliament Election 2003: Western Isles
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	%
		Alasdair Morrison	5,825	47.03
		Alasdair Nicholson	5,105	41.21
		Frank Warren	612	4.94
		Conor Snowden	498	4.02
		Joanne Telfer	347	2.80
Majority			720	5.81
Turnout			12,387	58.4
	hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament Election 1999: Western Isles
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	%
		Alasdair Morrison	7,248	51.94
		Alasdair Nicholson	5,155	36.94
		Jamie McGrigor	1,095	7.85
		John Horne	456	3.27
		Joanne Telfer	347
Majority			2,093	15.00
Turnout

Notes

See also

•  • [ e] Electoral regions and Constituencies of the Scottish Parliament
Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton North and Bellshill Hamilton South Kilmarnock and Loudoun Motherwell and Wishaw
Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Baillieston Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Govan Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Rutherglen Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Springburn
Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber Moray Orkney Ross, Skye and Inverness West Shetland Western Isles
Lothians	Edinburgh Central Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Edinburgh North and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh South Edinburgh West Linlithgow Livingston Midlothian
Mid Scotland and Fife	Central Fife Dunfermline East Dunfermline West Kirkcaldy North East Fife North Tayside Ochil Perth Stirling
North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central Aberdeen North Aberdeen South Angus Banff and Buchan Dundee East Dundee West Gordon West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
South of Scotland	Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Cunninghame South Dumfries East Lothian Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Roxburgh and Berwickshire Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
West of Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie Cunninghame North Dumbarton Eastwood Greenock and Inverclyde Paisley North Paisley South Strathkelvin and Bearsden West Renfrewshire