Speeches by McNeill.

“I would be delighted to come to Dundee and hear from people directly, but I say gently to the hon. Gentleman that problems at the University of Dundee are a function of the decision making of a number of people, not least the university itself and the Scottish Government. I would of course be delighted to be in ongoing…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) on securing this debate on the impact of the spending review on Scotland, on all his advocacy on behalf of his constituents and on gifting us his deep experience, expertise an…”

“I also found having the conversation with you all yesterday very useful. One of the things I am charged with—partly because of the allocation of portfolios inside the Scotland Office and partly because of the Scotland Office role across the UK Government—is impressing on all colleagues with decision-making power across…”

“I should put on the record that the Secretary of State is right: he spends more time with the DFM than he does with me. The ongoing discussions are very regular and a sincere attempt to take each other’s temperature and mind. It is very interesting that there is this focus on the process of how many meetings have been …”

“This is something that has been mentioned quite a lot by all the different stakeholders we have been engaging with. As you will know, we have done huge numbers of roundtables and engagement sessions in QH and in Dover House. We have also been out and about speaking to people. The thing that external stakeholders keep s…”

“I am the Member of Parliament for Midlothian and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland.”

“Obviously, the reach of the UK Government’s overseas network is much wider so, hopefully, that will help with attribution because we are in many more places with expert advice. The other place you are right to push us on is making sure there is alignment so that we are spending the money well and there is no duplicatio…”

“If I could just add, one of the reasons why the strategy is emerging is because it is supposed to prime innovation. There is a pot of funding available to our overseas network to come forward with ideas because they know their markets best. We are hoping to surface all that expertise around the world. I want to impress…”

“Another issue that has emerged from the conversations we have been having on the basis of the growth deal regions is that we need another mechanism for parliamentarians to talk to Government regionally so that they do not have to rely on being able to ask questions on the floor of the House or in settings like this. Ye…”

“The hon. Member will be perfectly aware—as, indeed, everyone in the House will be—that questions about the winter fuel payment in Scotland are devolved to the Scottish Government. Decisions made in Scotland are the responsibility of the Scottish Government, but I am pleased to reiterate to the House what the Prime Mini…”

“I am very pleased to offer the hon. Lady that reassurance.”

“I am delighted to join the hon. Gentleman in thanking Betty for all her efforts. He will know that, in the review, work has been undertaken on justice for LGBT people in our armed forces, and we are pleased to commend that to the House.”

“The Minister for Veterans and People is doing sterling work. His advocacy has helped to ensure that Labour will improve 3,000 forces family homes. We are making a £1.5 billion investment across the whole UK. I am sure that when the strategic defence review was launched, in Scotland and then in this Chamber, the hon. Me…”

“First, I am truly sorry to hear about the experiences of my hon. Friend’s constituent. Support services and accommodation across the UK must reflect the needs of all our veterans, including women. That includes the provision of safe, suitable and appropriate housing. If she writes to me, I shall ask the Minister for Ve…”

“I am pleased to join my hon. Friend in welcoming the strategic defence review, which was launched by the Prime Minister in Scotland on Monday and included more than £400 million of investment in military accommodation in Scotland. I am sure that, like me, my hon. Friend will be appalled that the First Minister snubbed …”

“I wish to thank veterans for their service, and their families for the sacrifices that enabled it. As it is Volunteers Week, may I place on record my thanks and those of the whole House to the volunteers who do so much for our military charities? I welcome the announcement of the new programme, Valour, which is giving …”

“It does, but I am afraid that the SNP seems determined to hoard powers and funding, rather than passing them to communities. There is no better example of that than the Labour-run council in South Lanarkshire proposing £8 million for Hamilton town centre, only for the SNP to vote against that. That is why, tomorrow, vo…”

“The National Wealth Fund has made its first Scottish investment in the Glasgow city region, which is one of four areas across the UK selected for a strategic partnership with the fund to unlock private investment opportunities. The Secretary of State meets the Deputy First Minister regularly to discuss economic growth,…”

“I could not agree more. In England, waiting lists have fallen since Labour came to office less than a year ago, while in Scotland they continue to rise, and we now see nearly one in six Scots waiting for treatment. John Swinney has, in total desperation, announced that the SNP Government’s fifth NHS recovery plan in le…”

“The Chancellor’s autumn Budget delivered the biggest settlement in the history of devolution for the Scottish Government—£50 billion. I want to see that cash reach the frontline services that have suffered years of cuts under the SNP. That record settlement is possible only because of the Barnett formula—something oppo…”