Clare Adamson MSP Motherwell and Wishaw
​​
Follow me
Hello
If you are a constituent looking for help, please visit the Contact Clare section of the website.
We are a small team and we receive hundreds of enquires, so please provide your contact address and telephone number to allow us to respond to constituent enquiries quickly. We will do our best to help.
You can also find details for other support options for issues like debt, social security, health and wellbeing, carers support and community initiatives. Visit Helpful Links above.
​
You can follow my social channels for the latest updates
About Clare
Clare Adamson has been MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw since 2016.
She was born in Motherwell and raised in Wishaw. Clare studied Computer Information Systems at Glasgow Caledonian University before entering the IT industry where she latterly worked as European Development Manager at a Glasgow document management firm.
Clare is a member of National Union of Journalists and a Member of the British Computer Society and is passionate about education and STEM subjects, particularly girls’ and women’s representation in these sectors and is the Vice-Chair of SSERC.
Clare became involved in politics following the closure of the Ravenscraig steelworks and seeing the impact that political decisions could make on your local community.
She worked at SNP HQ from 2003 – 2007; leading the development of the SNP’s ‘Activate’ campaign tool. In 2007, Clare was elected to North Lanarkshire Council representing Wishaw ward. She was then elected to the Scottish Parliament representing Central Scotland in 2011 before becoming the first ever SNP MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw in 2016. She was then re-elected in 2021 with an increased majority to serve the community that she grew up in.
Scottish Parliament
I was first elected to Parliament in 2011 as MSP for Central Region. ​Since 2016, I have been very proud to serve my own community as MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw.
​
I previously chaired the Education and Skills Committee and Social Security Committee. ​Currently, I am convener of the Parliament's Constitution, Europe, External Affairs, and Culture Committee. You can learn more about our work here.​​​
The Parliament has a number of Cross Party Groups (CPGs) which allow MSPs to engage with organisations and members of the public on areas of interest. I have long campaigned for improved outcomes in safety policy as accident and avoidable injuries disproportionately impact people in more deprived areas. I chair the CPG on Accident Prevention and Safety Awareness. Our group's members are some of the most dedicated campaigners I have worked with. There are big issues in data collection which leads to difficulties in making preventative policy so that we can stop accidents before they happen.
​
I am also a fervent supporter of greater representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). I have a background in IT, and we need more diversity in the STEM sector to realise Scotland's potential in the industries which are shaping our future. I chair the CPG on Science and Technology. We are in the fourth industrial revolution; cyber, AI, robotics, and the internet of things are changing everything about the way our industries work. I want to encourage the next generation of innovators to have a career in science and technology.
​
More recently, I established a new CPG on the Scottish Games Ecosystem. The games sector in Scotland has immense potential economically, socially, and culturally. Worldwide, the sector eclipses traditional entertainment media – generating more revenue than the film and music industries combined. Gaming engines and technologies are now being used in ways that developers could scarcely have imagined. There are applications for games tech in education, healthcare, agriculture, forestry, construction and so on.
Scotland has been a pioneer in the sector since the 1980s - as the home of some of the world's most popular games. But we need coordinated policy in order to build a thriving sector for the future.
Keep up to date with all of my contributions in Parliament here.
Community Action Netork
The Community Action Network (CAN) is an initiative which brings together charities, civil society groups, churches, community and national organisations, and campaigners with a shared commitment to tackling poverty and supporting people in their community.
​
The Community Action Network held its first meeting at the Dalziel Building in Motherwell to coincide with the beginning of Challenge Poverty Week 2024.
​
I am privileged to chair the network. CAN allows members to share their expertise, raise awareness of different issues facing their community, and work collaboratively to support people in Motherwell and Wishaw and across Lanarkshire.
​
CAN continues the legacy of the Poverty Action Network which began in 2016 spearheaded by then SNP MP Marion Fellows.
​
The group’s members are dedicated and driven to addressing poverty and inequality. CAN’s members are committed and compassionate campaigners, local volunteers, stalwarts of the community, and experts across a range of policy areas: from mental health to climate change; food insecurity to fuel poverty; problematic substance use to disability support and more.
Through collaborative working, we want to bring about better outcomes for the people of Motherwell and Wishaw and highlight the need for change at national level.
People are facing food insecurity, inadequate social security support, barriers to education and employment, fuel poverty, and all of it is contributing to poor mental and physical health.
There is no single solution to ending poverty but that is why CAN is important. We want to bring together people with expertise in different areas. Poverty impacts just about every issue of policy and that is why we need collaboration to bring about the systemic change.