Alison Johnstone has been in the Scottish Parliament since it was reconvened in 1999 – initially working for the first elected Green Party parliamentarian in the UK, Robin Harper MSP. She was first elected to the Parliament in 2011 as a Scottish Green Party MSP for Lothian region. She has been a member of several parliamentary committees, including the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, the Health and Sport Committee and the Social Security Committee. She was co-leader of the Scottish Green Party parliamentary group from 2019-2021. Alison was elected to the role of Presiding Officer of the Parliament in May 2021. As Presiding Officer, Alison chairs and manages parliamentary business, chairs the Parliamentary Bureau and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, and represents the Scottish Parliament at home and abroad. Following election as Presiding Officer, she sits as an MSP with no party affiliation.
