Speeches by Sullivan.

“I understand that Shetland Telecom was able to make the switch. Regardless, it does not detract from your responsibilities under the Ofcom guidance. Do you have any comment you would wish to make on that?”

“Ofcom guidance states that all networks are responsible for ensuring resilience, regardless of what your own infrastructure is. Clearly there have been examples where you have failed to ensure that resilience, particularly for the island communities. Do you accept that you have fallen short of that guidance in the past…”

“To be fair, I don’t think the guidance was observed, and I think the Committee has heard the evidence of that from previous witnesses from island communities. Ms Davidson, would you like to comment?”

“Mr Smith, would you like to add anything to that?”

“Are there any examples from other jurisdictions where there are particularly effective resilience arrangements in place? Obviously we want to compare like with like, so other jurisdictions that have similar geographies and challenges.”

“The thing that I am struggling to get my head around is that although this guidance was already in place, it seems as if resilience was not given the consideration that it merited, particularly for our island communities. We have already heard that other providers were able to have contracts in place that allowed them …”

“I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require that personal protective equipment procured and provided by public sector and associated bodies must comply with Standard BS 30417:2025, or an equivalent specified standard; and for connected purposes. I bring the Bill to the House as a proud member of th…”

“Last Saturday, Nicola’s women’s support group celebrated its first anniversary, marking a year of welcoming women in West Lothian to connect, share experiences and offer a listening ear. Nicola’s was founded in memory of a beautiful young woman, Nicola, who took her own life after repeated delays to desperately needed …”

“Professors Turney and Hopgood, I will start with you. As you are aware that last week the Government shared initial details of a £50 million Scottish defence growth deal. What role do you see universities in Scotland playing in the deal?”

“You have both moved on to my next question, so I think it is a natural point just to continue that. You have both spoken about the collaboration that is already out there, and I think Mr Donoghue mentioned the fact that he thinks DTECs should potentially be a hub with colleges, perhaps as the anchor institution but spr…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. Many of our communities have felt left behind, with their concerns about the places where they live often going unheard, so I welcome the steps that this Government have taken since July 2024 to address that imbalance. They are giving power back to local people …”

“On your last point there, have you had any conversations with the Scottish Government around the establishment of DTECs?”

“Thank you. If I can turn now to Mr Donoghue and Mr Metcalfe. Last week Fife College announced a memorandum of understanding with Babcock International and Forth Valley College. Given these partnerships already exist and you have all spoken about them throughout this session, is a defence growth deal really needed in yo…”

“Just very briefly, you have spoken, Mr Metcalfe, about the fact that there has not been the widespread promotion of the opportunities in a way that you would like to see and in a way that you think is necessary. Given the Government have announced plans for Destination Defence as a comms campaign to raise awareness of …”

“I am aware that as part of the announcement last week the UK Government was looking for match funding from the Scottish Government to get these colleges off the ground. Have you heard any positive noises? I appreciate you cannot make any announcements here, but do you expect that there will be positive movement?”

“My final question: can I ask you what you think the UK Government should do to encourage young people in Scotland to engage more in defence related STEM fields?”

“I am absolutely fascinated by this. I should say that I started out as a software engineer in a Y2K project many, many years ago. I often wonder if the language that we use can become a barrier in itself. We talk about STEM; what do young people understand by that? What do their parents understand by that? What do teac…”

“Following on from the barrier point, the role models, I believe it is important that people see role models from their own communities and not just people that have been brought in from a company. Again, that comes back to language. Do the parents understand that they are perhaps a role model in terms of the job that t…”

“Is it easier to get young people in different parts of the UK than in Scotland? Are you seeing a geographic difference there?”

“Apprenticeships in Scotland are devolved, of course.”