Speeches by Jones.

“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…”

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

“Happy birthday, Mr Speaker. I was delighted that the Darvel Improvement Group was awarded £200,000 of Pride in Place funding, meaning that it can now progress its work to restore the Sir Alexander Fleming commemorative garden and create an educational memorial in Hastings Square. My right hon. Friend will know that 202…”

“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…”

“Lord Robertson, what would you like to see included in the defence investment plan?”

“Lord Robertson, you said that we are underprepared, underinsured and under attack, and you mentioned Finland. Do you believe that UK society is clueless in terms of how underprepared, underinsured and under attack we are, given the threats in the North Atlantic? Also, we can say that our frontline is in Ukraine. What h…”

“Lord Robertson, within this strategic defence review there were 62 recommendations. I am wondering if there were any specifically for Scotland. Could you name them, and are they being progressed?”

“Mr Sloan, you have said that political will and Government backing are key challenges to building fixed links in the UK. Do you see this as more of a constraint in Scotland than in other countries you have worked in? If so, can you tell us why?”

“To what extent will recent changes to the Green Book, such as the social value featuring more strongly, improve the chances of projects like Shetland’s tunnels being approved?”

“Does the Minister agree that expanding the use of home-grown timber in construction and manufacturing would not only support UK forestry and small businesses, but strengthen supply chain resilience and reduce our reliance on imports, which currently make up 80% of the timber we use? What specific measures will the Gove…”

“I am proud that this Government are backing British industry, from ceramics to British steel, in today’s announcement. Will my right hon. Friend look at possible measures to support the UK wood and timber sector? It is facing challenges such as price volatility, rising costs, supply chain pressures and missed targets f…”

“According to a CBI report published in 2025, the contribution of the wood panel industry to the UK economy was £1.1 billion gross value added. Given that significant contribution, will my right hon. Friend make time for a debate on how the Government’s industrial strategy will support the UK timber and wood sector, inc…”

“Does the right hon. Member agree that there should be a national SEND programme for armed forces children throughout the United Kingdom to support them in changing schools so often?”

“Sorry, I did not hear Ms Davidson’s number from your company, the customers that left following both outages, and similarly with Mr Smith. Could I just have the numbers, please?”

“Just picking up on your point, Chair, in regards to contracts and what customers might expect the providers to do during periods of outage, is it possible that each of you can provide the Committee with contracts that were live during the dates of the outages just to help the Committee members understand and see for th…”