Richard John Simpson

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(born 22 October 1942,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

) is a Scottish Labour politician, and was

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The add ...

(MSP) for the Ochil constituency from

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

until

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

and for the Mid Scotland and Fife region from

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

until 2016. He is a member of Unite.

Medical career

Simpson was educated at

Perth Academy Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It was founded in 1696. The institution is a non-denominational one. The school occupies ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the P ...

, Trinity College Glenalmond, and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. A GP and

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their ...

prior to his election, Simpson is a fellow of the

Royal College of Psychiatrists The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for representing psychiatrists, for psychiatric research and for providing public information about mental health ...

and a fellow of the

Royal College of General Practitioners The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general (medical) practitioners (GPs/ Family Physicians/ Primary Care Physicians) in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including ...

. He was also a former associate member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons and a member of the faculty's working group on prostate cancer. He was a founding member and chair of the Strathcarron Hospice, Denny. Between 2003 and 2007 he worked within

Addiction medicine Addiction medicine is a medical subspecialty that deals with the diagnosis, prevention, evaluation, treatment, and recovery of persons with addiction, of those with substance-related and addictive disorders, and of people who show unhealthy u ...

, first within

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

then as consultant psychiatrist in charge of the Drug Addiction Team of

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geographically by the Av ...

Scottish Parliament

Simpson was elected in 1999 as the first MSP for Ochil. In his first term, Simpson was a member of the Finance Committee (17 June 1999 – 28 November 2001), the Standards Committee (18 October 1999 – 10 November 1999) and a member of the Health and Community Care Committee (17 June 1999 – 28 November 2001). As appointed Reporter to the Health and Community Care Committee, he produced three reports on the Stobhill Medium Secure Unit consultation process by Greater Glasgow Health Board, influenza vaccination in Scotland and organ donation. He was made the deputy Justice minister when

Jack McConnell Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, (born 30 June 1960) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2001 to 2007. McConnell served as the Minister fo ...

became

First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of '' ...

in 2001. As a minister, Simpson launched the Scotland's People genealogy web page in 2002. He lost his seat at the 2003 election. Simpson was returned to the Scottish Parliament in 2007 as third on the Labour regional list for Mid Scotland and Fife. He was the Deputy Party Spokesperson on Health for the Labour Party. In the 2007 parliament he was the Labour lead on the Health and Wellbeing Committee and also Co-Convener of the Cross-Party Groups in the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holy ...

on Drug and Alcohol Misuse and on Mental Health, and a member of the Cross-Party Groups in the

on Epilepsy, Golf, Palestine, Tobacco Control and Visual Impairment. In 2007, along with other opposition MSPs, he raised concerns about plans for local licensing boards to ban under 21 alcohol sales, stating that this would discriminate against young people who were responsible drinkers. At the election on 5 May 2011, he was again returned to Holyrood as a regional MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife. Simpson's campaigns in 2011 included 'Save Waterwatch',News
Save Waterwatch. Retrieved on 18 March 2011. the undergrounding of the electricity line from Beauly to Denny and stop the running of night trains on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line. Simpson was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2017 Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

for services to Scottish politics and public life.

References

External links

*
Richard Simpson MSP Biography at the Scottish Parliament websiteRichard Simpson's official websiteRichard Simpson Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Richard 1942 births Living people Politicians from Edinburgh Labour MSPs Scottish psychiatrists Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003 Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011 Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–2016 Fellows of the Royal College of Psychiatrists People educated at Glenalmond College People educated at Perth Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Officers of the Order of the British Empire