Speeches by McNeill.

“It is absolutely no surprise to me that a representative of the Scottish National party does not want to talk about its own record on young people. Shamefully, youth worklessness is much more intense across Scotland—including the hon. Gentleman’s constituency and mine—than it is elsewhere in the UK, because the SNP Sco…”

“It is not a question of using devolution as a shield; it is a question of proper accountability. Farming is a devolved matter, and the SNP Scottish Government have not delivered for Scotland’s farmers. Take the Scottish Government’s future farming investment scheme: in some areas, rejection rates for ineligibility were…”

“I could not agree with my hon. Friend more. Our farms and farmers are vital to this country as providers of food, guardians of our countryside, and significant contributors to the economy. It is time that the SNP Scottish Government recognised that fact.”

“I was delighted to meet key farming stakeholders at the Royal Highland Show, where we discussed the structural pressures facing the livestock industry in Scotland. This Government absolutely recognise that food security is national security, and while there has been a decline in herd sizes, we have seen higher producti…”

“Too many young people are spending their early years of adulthood out of work or education. The youth guarantee is our commitment to ensuring that every young person across Great Britain can access support in order to earn or learn. Last month we launched the youth jobs grant, which will provide a £3,000 incentive for …”

“There is simply no excuse for this kind of senseless violence and antisocial behaviour, and I am very saddened to hear about the impact that it has had on my hon. Friend’s constituents. I agree that the vast majority of young people want to improve their lives and contribute to their communities. This Government have c…”

“I completely agree with my hon. Friend, and I am absolutely delighted that somebody of Jim Hope’s stature has been appointed to lead Pride in Place investment in north-east Glasgow. It is a great example of those who know their communities best being empowered to lead, and I will follow the progress made in north-east …”

“The people of Scotland were given a choice on our constitutional future, and we gave an emphatic answer that we believe that we are part of a stronger United Kingdom.”

“Our Pride in Place programme is supporting local people to shape the future of their areas. We are investing up to £480 million in 24 Scottish neighbourhoods over 10 years, including Springburn and Sighthill in north-east Glasgow. Alongside this, our Pride in Place programme impact fund is investing £12 million in eigh…”

“Fiona, are you going to come in on this?”

“If you don’t mind, Chair, I have two points to supplement what the Secretary of State said. Andy Burnham’s focus on reindustrialisation would be warmly welcomed by this Committee and people across Scotland. We are looking forward to working with everybody on that agenda. The second thing—we have been talking about this…”

“I see, so it is not Scotland Office Funding.”

“As you would expect about matters that pertain to national security, there will not be much more public conversation around it than has already been put in the public domain.”

“I am so pleased that the Committee is doing this inquiry, and I had the chance to go back through some of the witness interventions you had had. I was struck by one that said, “The point about broadcasting in our national life is you should be able to see and hear yourself reflected”. You should not be left in any doub…”

“I would describe the first period of this Government as being about a number of manifesto commitments. We had a mission around growth. I would characterise the first year or so of this Government as focusing on bedding in the policies and the changes we wanted to make on what we believe drives local growth. We have set…”

“Yes, and I hope we have seen, since this Government came in, a focus on place-based growth. That will only be further illuminated, as the incoming Prime Minister has talked about growth in every single postcode. That is the new Government’s ambition.”

“I will add two things, Chair. One is that since the May elections I have been in meetings with Mr Flynn and Mr Gethins. We have new members of the Scottish Government who know a lot about the Westminster system and how we work in Westminster and Whitehall. The meetings have been on matters of substance. As the Secretar…”

“I am sorry, Kirsteen. That was my fault because we also have main estimates for the Department itself. My apologies: I should not have directed that to you. That was entirely my fault. The UK Government place an enormous premium on growth, and we will continue to want to make investments directly in Scotland that drive…”

“The statement that the Government made at the time, and which I will happily repeat, is that considerations around our national security will always come first. Those considerations were weighed in the round with what is undoubtedly an investment opportunity for Scotland that would have brought benefits, but the decisi…”

“No, we are still invested, both financially and in terms of momentum, in the benefits to come from city regions. We are deep in the delivery phase in almost all of them. There were some that have only been signed since this Government came in, but for the ones that are at maturity, we work closely with our local author…”