Speeches by Burke.

“1. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support regeneration in Scotland through the Pride in Place programme.”

“In my constituency, the Pride in Place programme will be stewarded by Jim Hope BEM. Jim has decades of experience in community engagement, and has been involved in a range of projects that have brought local people together. Does the Minister agree that the key strength of the Pride in Place programme is not only that …”

“Will the relevant devolution guidance notes be updated at the same time as the memorandum?”

“Secretary of State, you told this Committee in November 2025 that the memorandum of understanding would be published soon. When will it be published, and why has it taken so long to finalise the memorandum?”

“What I am going to ask you has probably already been spoken about, but it is still something that I want to put forward to you. In addition to the bank closures, the number of free-to-use cash machines in Scotland has fallen by a quarter since 2018. Can you tell me what the industry is doing to ensure that people can c…”

“I will direct my question to you, Mr Ashton. The number of free-to-use ATMs in Scotland has reportedly declined by a quarter since 2018. Can you tell me what LINK is doing to tackle this problem?”

“Just as you said, some people, specifically the elderly, do want to still use cash. That is something that we need to look into.”

“Thank you for that. In what circumstances might LINK commission the installation of new free-to-use ATMs?”

“Around 59% of children in the most deprived areas reach a good level of development by the time they start primary school compared with 79% in the least deprived areas. Babyzone is a charity set up to level the playing field by providing free-to-access community hubs that offer services to support children’s developmen…”

“The launch of the Office for Small Businesses and Growth has been welcomed our witnesses, but similar initiatives have attempted to tackle these issues for SMEs. What do you think will make this one a success?”

“Given that the network’s exposure to weather is unavoidable, is it realistic to expect ferry services to ever be consistently reliable?”

“What are the main challenges to delivering improvements to the current ferry service and to what timescales could these improvements realistically be achieved? I know you are talking about lack of investment. Could you give us a wee bit of information on that?”

“Mr Mackison, I know you covered technical faults there but my question is to what extent the weather-related cancellations are becoming more frequent. Do you have any data showing whether weather-related cancellations are increasing?”

“It is a privilege to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson) for securing this debate on the forthcoming Commonwealth games in our home city. In just a matter of weeks, Glasgow will once again host the Commonwealth games. The resounding success of o…”

“It is a privilege to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson) for securing this debate on the forthcoming Commonwealth games in our home city. In just a matter of weeks, Glasgow will once again host the Commonwealth games. The resounding success of o…”

“Lord Robertson, which areas of the defence industrial strategy have the UK Government delivered most effectively so far? Can you tell me where delivery has fallen short so far? What should the Government focus on next to address those gaps?”

“I will direct my question to Councillor Robinson and Councillor Steele. You may have covered some of my question, but I will ask it anyway. You have previously said the cost of projects would be well beyond your councils’ means. How far beyond your means are these projects and what financing options are you considering…”

“Q2. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Royal Regiment of Scotland—20 years of duty, courage and, for 23 of its soldiers, the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Across Scotland, more than 20 councils have recognised the regiment’s service by granting it the freedom of their area, reflecting Scotland’…”

“Thank you, Chair. Kirsti, I will direct my question to yourself. What kind of skills do you think are needed most in the defence sector?”

“Thank you for that. Do you want to come in, Susan?”