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Ross, Skye and Inverness West Scottish Parliament county constituency
Ross, Skye and Inverness West shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Created:	1999
MSP:	John Farquhar Munro
Party:	Liberal Democrats
Council area:	Highland

Ross, Skye and Inverness West 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.

Ross, Skye and Inverness West covers a central portion of the Highland council area.

Contents 1 Electoral region 2 Constituency boundaries 2.1 Council area 3 Member of the Scottish Parliament 4 Election results 5 Notes and references 5.1 See also

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, Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

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.

The Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing Westminster (House of Commons) constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were generally replaced with new larger constituencies^[1]. For representation at Westminster, the area of the Holyrood constituency is now divided between three constituencies: the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Westminster constituency, the Ross, Skye and Lochaber Westminster constituency and the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Westminster constituency.

See also Politics of the Highland council area

Ross, Skye and Inverness West is one of three Holyrood constituencies covering the Highland council area. The other two are Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross and Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber. Ross, Skye and Inverness West covers a central portion of the council area, with Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross to the north and Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber to the south. All three are within the Highlands and Islands electoral region.

When created in 1999 the constituency boundaries were definable with reference to council wards which were grouped, by the Highland Council, in relation to eight council management areas. Constituency and management area names have many elements in common, and the management areas had the boundaries of former districts of the Highland region, as abolished in 1996, namely Ross and Cromarty, Skye and Lochalsh, Inverness, Nairn, Lochaber, Badenoch and Strathspey, Caithness and Sutherland.

The management areas were abolished this year, 2007, and the council has now three new corporate management areas, defined as groups of new wards, also introduced this year, 2007. The boundaries of the corporate management areas are similar to those of Westminster constituencies created in 2005. One corporate management area, the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross area, has boundaries, therefore, which are also similar to those of a Holyrood constituency. The boundaries of the other two corporate areas, the Ross, Skye and Lochaber area and the Inverness, Nairn, and Badenoch and Strathspey area, are quite unlike those of any Holyrood constituency.

The most recent general election of the Highland Council was this year, 2007, and its current political composition is as follows:

34 independent councillors

22 Liberal Democrat councillors

17 Scottish National Party councillors

7 Labour Party councillors

The current convener of the council is an independent councillor and the current vice-convener is a Scottish National Party councillor.^[2]

Election		Member	Party
	1999	John Farquhar Munro	Liberal Democrat
	2003
	2007

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	John Farquhar Munro	13,501	42.6	-0.5
	Scottish National Party	David Thompson	10,015	31.6	+12.1
	Labour Party	Maureen Macmillan	4,789	15.1	-3.8
	Conservative Party	John Hodgson	3,122	9.8	-3.2
	Scottish Enterprise Party	Iain Brodie of Falsyde	292	0.9	+0.9
Majority			3,486	11.0	-12.6
Turnout			31,719	53.6	+1.7
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	John Farquhar Munro	12,495	43.1	+10.2
	Scottish National Party	David Thompson	5,647	19.5	-3.1
	Labour Party	Maureen MacMillan	5,464	18.9	-9.7
	Conservative Party	Jamie McGrigor	3,772	13.0	+3.1
	Scottish Socialist Party	Anne MacLeod	1,593	5.5	(+5.5)
Majority			6,848	23.6	+19.3
Turnout			28,971	51.9	-10.9

Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	John Farquhar Munro	11,652	32.9	N/A
	Labour Party	Donnie Munro	10,113	28.6	N/A
	Scottish National Party	Jim Mather	7,997	22.6	N/A
	Conservative Party	John Scott	3,351	9.5	N/A
	Independent	William Briggs	2,302	6.5	N/A
Majority			1,539	4.3	N/A
Turnout			35,415	62.8	N/A

1. ^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland
2. ^ Top Two Elected At The Highland Council, Highland Council news release

v • d • 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