Contributions
638 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUK Shared Prosperity FundRangers, that great British football club, are in Seville tonight for the Europa league final. I hope that the whole House, including the hon. Member for Edinburgh South (Ian…18 May 2022HANSARDUK Shared Prosperity FundThe UK shared prosperity fund is a central pillar of our ambitious levelling-up agenda for places across Scotland and provides £212 million of new funding for local investment.…18 May 2022HANSARDUK Shared Prosperity FundI seek to correct the hon. Lady: the funding is tapered with UK structural funds. EU structural funds and UK structural funds are tapered. We paid into EU funds, and the EU is…18 May 2022HANSARDUK Shared Prosperity FundDiscussions with EMEC are ongoing between my office, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. We…18 May 2022HANSARDFuture Defence Policy and the Armed ForcesI think my hon. Friend refers to ferries, and he is absolutely right. I think the ferries float. They just cannot seem to finish them or make them work, or find anything that gets…18 May 2022HANSARDFuture Defence Policy and the Armed ForcesI have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues and the Ministry of Defence. The integrated review sets out the Government’s ambitions for defence and foreign policy over the…18 May 2022HANSARDFuture Defence Policy and the Armed ForcesThe benefits are enormous. Scotland plays a crucial role in the defence of the UK and our NATO allies. The UK strategic bases in Scotland, RAF Lossiemouth and the UK’s nuclear…18 May 2022HANSARDFuture Defence Policy and the Armed ForcesThe hon. Gentleman mentions SMEs. The bulk of the spending—literally billions of pounds, worth thousands of jobs—is with British Aerospace and Babcock.18 May 2022HANSARDFuture Defence Policy and the Armed ForcesRecruitment remains healthy for young Scots, both as regulars and reservists. I am sure the new recruits in Scotland are absolutely buoyed by the First Minister’s new love of the…18 May 2022HANSARDImproving Union ConnectivityThe UK Government are carefully considering the recommendations set out in Sir Peter Hendy’s Union connectivity review. My hon. Friend Baroness Vere, the Minister responsible for…18 May 2022HANSARDImproving Union ConnectivityYes, and to clarify my hon. Friend’s point, the Scottish Government did refuse to engage with the Union connectivity review, in the form of Cabinet Secretary Michael Matheson…18 May 2022HANSARDImproving Union ConnectivityHigh Speed 2 will transform rail travel in this country. It will build opportunity and boost the economy through national regeneration and the widespread creation of jobs. HS2…18 May 2022HANSARDImproving Union ConnectivityThe hon. Lady and I share exactly the same ambition: faster rail to York, which will mean faster rail to Scotland.18 May 2022HANSARDImproving Union ConnectivityThe Prime Minister has welcomed—indeed, intends to accept—the proposals for the creation of UKNET, a strategic transport network spanning the entire United Kingdom. The funding…18 May 2022HANSARDImproving Union ConnectivityI notice that my hon. Friend was being rudely interrupted, but what I think I picked up was that the A68 from Darlington to Midlothian is of great importance to cross-border…18 May 2022HANSARDImproving Union ConnectivitySir Peter Hendy noted in his final report that “devolution has been good for transport”. However, he identified that it has none the less led to “a gap in UK-wide strategic…18 May 2022HANSARDImproving Union ConnectivityThe hon. Gentleman misses the very important point that Ms Gilruth is the Transport Minister. We want Scotland’s two Governments to work together, and we believe that if the…18 May 2022HANSARDThe Government’s Legislative Programme (Scotland) 2022-23)The legislative programme for the third Session was outlined at the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday 10 May. This statement provides a summary of the programme and its…11 May 2022HANSARDDebate on the Addressindicated assent.10 May 2022HANSARDLegislative ConsentMy hon. Friend will be delighted to know that I absolutely agree.16 Mar 2022