Speeches by Jones.

“Mr Dunbar, what influence does the European charter for regional or minority languages have on the overall approach to Gaelic language policy? How important is the charter in shaping the UK Government’s obligations to support Gaelic broadcasting?”

“Dr Birnie, are there enough career opportunities for Gaelic-speaking creatives? What do the opportunities look like for young people, particularly those living on the islands?”

“To build on the points that my colleague Douglas raised, my constituency is in the lowlands. For centuries, the lowlands never spoke Gaelic, but we are in an age now where it is on offer through our education system. I am not against that. There is a primary school that is a Gaelic school. My question to you is, when p…”

“I appreciate that.”

“Do you think the distribution of funding appropriately reflects Scotland’s significance within the sector?”

“On the infrastructure investment in Faslane and Scottish bases for procurement, what reassurance can you give us that Scottish companies and British companies will be able to bid for those contracts to support jobs across our communities?”

“Part of the national conversation for me, certainly, I think probably about 85% of my constituents don’t understand the threats that we face, because that message isn’t landing. It is not on their television screens. Ukraine has been wiped off the news almost, so they don’t understand that threat is still there. It is …”

“Minister, £20 million of the £180 million industrial strategy skills package has been allocated for skills initiatives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Is that £20 million for each of the devolved nations or to be shared between them?”

“Thanks very much, Chair. Sticking with reskilling and upskilling, Minister, to address the challenge of many skilled workers nearing retirement and very few apprenticeship spaces, reskilling has been identified as a key opportunity. What can the UK Government do to help the defence industry take advantage of this? Coul…”

“You do pack a punch.”

“We have heard how negative public perceptions of the defence sector are impacting operations and recruitment for many companies in Scotland. Beyond the Destination Defence campaign, what are the UK Government doing to combat this?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) on securing this important debate. Scotland is not immune to fly-tipping, which has a significant and often underestimated impact on our communities, affecting not onl…”

“I was delighted to be able to congratulate Auchinleck Talbot football club from my constituency on their recent remarkable achievement in winning the Scottish junior cup for a record 15th time. They came from behind to defeat their Ayrshire rivals Largs Thistle, demonstrating the resilience, determination and community…”

“If these projects might bring any downsides to the areas, how would they be mitigated?”

“We are moving now to areas that would benefit from fixed links. What regions, if any, would benefit most from new fixed links and in what ways? We will start with Councillor Lyall.”

“Mr Mackison, the Scottish Human Rights Commission has told us that without significant investment in transport infrastructure, island communities will face disproportionate barriers that may undermine their human rights. Do you agree with this assessment?”

“Mr Mackison, during the Committee’s visit to the Western Isles, we heard how locals felt about CalMac services, that they were not meeting the demand and more services were needed. Some of the comments were about the booking system: despite services regularly being stated as fully booked, the vessels appeared to be aro…”

“What are the challenges in having more services? Do you think that having fixed links would alleviate the pressures on your services or would it pose challenges for your business model?”

“Locals felt there was a disconnect between CalMac and the needs of your customers. How would you respond to those comments and what could you do to improve the service?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg, and to contribute to this important debate on the return of the Commonwealth games to Glasgow secured by my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson). The Commonwealth games have always been more than a sporting competition. They are a celeb…”