Speeches by Stewart.

“On the back of that, do you think the greater reporting requirements for Scotland will put producers off from coming forward to provide production in Scotland?”

“Can I just say that I love “The Traitors”, and I loved the celebrity one because I just love Alan Carr? It was great to see a Scottish boy win the other night.”

“You have probably touched on this as well, but how do you encourage production companies to increase their investment in Scotland?”

“I am sure that you have touched on this one a wee bit, but how will you ensure that BBC commissioners deliver the commitment not to typically commission new network productions in Scotland unless local budgets and talent requirements are met?”

“This is my ignorance, but what is Tx-ed?”

“Hayley, this is for you. We saw spend reduced by £27 million in 2024-25. Can you give us an idea why that is the case?”

“That is why we really need a defence college somewhere in Ayrshire.”

“What do you hope to see included in Scotland’s defence growth deal? What needs to be done within local economies to maximise the benefits?”

“The Society of Maritime Industries has cited competition from the energy and construction sectors as a barrier to attracting and retaining skills. Is that something your members recognise? What can be done to improve the competitiveness of the sector?”

“It is also a prime area for a tech college.”

“It is great to hear you talking about the Prestwick cluster, because I am an MP in that area. Obviously the airport is owned by the Scottish Government. I would really love to see Aeralis coming on board with us, because it has spoken about apprenticeships and how it is going to train up our young workforce. Bringing t…”

“Last year, 800 young people were turned away from Ayrshire College and a lot of that was tech and engineering. Would you say that Skills Development Scotland has lost the long-term view of how we are developing our young workforce?”

“Given the scale of the sector in Scotland, why are so many of the supply chains located in England?”

“Would you say that there could be more opportunity to create a supply chain in Scotland?”

“Before I go any further, I never declared my interest as a supporter of the APPG for the wood panel industry. Mr Kerr, how do you respond to the proposals from environmental organisations to reform commercial forestry subsidies to promote the rewilding of Scotland’s woodlands?”

“That brings me to my second question. How does the industry balance biodiversity with the need for stable timber supply?”

“Is there a risk of builders using less environmentally friendly materials to meet the demands of the wood panelling market?”

“How is the low domestic supply of wood impacting the UK and Scottish Government’s house-building targets?”

“We need to encourage both Governments to up targets.”

“I rise to speak to new clause 22. Let me begin by recognising the work of the Hewlett Packard Pension Association, particularly the work of Patricia Kennedy from Ayrshire—she hoped to be in the Gallery today, but she was too ill to travel. Patricia has been a driving force to keep this issue alive, but of course this i…”