Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
After close inspection of the detail on Pride in Place, we found that 50% of the evaluation was based on data that was not available even to MPs. We could not understand in any way how the distribution of that money was decided, and it completely avoided what many of us thought were relevant data.
I congratulate the hon. Member for Isle of Wight West (Richard Quigley) on securing this debate on a fantastic subject. What I am about to say is specific to the highlands and Scotland, but it is relevant, to a lesser extent, to all hon. Members in the Chamber. I have written a brilliant report called “Remote Scotland: Spiralling towards Unviability?”—I imagine everyone will be...
Will the Minister acknowledge that the highlands and islands produce a disproportionately large amount of our renewable energy? Will he also acknowledge that last week’s Ofgem go-ahead for three pumped storage schemes will produce almost no jobs, no legacy housing and no community benefits, along with minimal, if any, advantage to the highlands of Scotland?
I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) for securing this debate. This weekend, I watched the coastguard rescue a kayaker very close to my house. I spoke to the coastguard, who brought me up to date on the situation. There are two things to say. First, it is clear that the MCA management has made a right mess of this. It should listen to the...
The Minister knows that in the highlands we have had three massive pump storage sites move to the next level of development. Cumulatively, they will store 4 GW in an area that has the highest fuel poverty in Britain, at a cost of £5 billion. At the moment, the pumps will do very little for the highland economy, as there will be almost no local jobs, no legacy housing and no community...
It is a great shame that this debate has been broken up along party lines. It should have been had as the debate on assisted dying was, where people from across the House could stand up and make their own case. Indeed, many Members from across the House have been supportive of what I am about to say. Following the publication of the Cass review in 2024, the use of puberty blockers for gender...
It is a privilege to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for affording me the opportunity to make a statement on the publication of the Scottish Affairs Committee’s first report of the Session, on the Government’s clean power 2030 mission. It is a pleasure to speak on behalf of the Committee. This is the Committee’s second report on...
I thank the hon. Lady for chairing the Committee—she was the driving force behind the report. The curtailment costs demonstrate quite how meagre the community benefits are. I do not have the curtailment cost figures to hand, but hundreds of millions of pounds are often being paid to utilities and infrastructure funds that own the wind farms but are not local—they are neither...
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his department has made of the potential merits of rebalancing policy costs levied on electricity bills across gas and electricity bills equally.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2026 to Question 3737, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a dedicated visa route for other roles that require Gaelic speakers.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has held recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the creation of a dedicated work visa for fluent Gaelic speakers to fill Gaelic-medium posts in Scotland.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his department plans to take in response to the consultation on the use of cages and crates for laying hens which closed on 9 March 2026.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help reduce industrial energy costs.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Irish counterpart on reports that Aughinish Alumina has been linked to supply chains supporting Russia's defence industry.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve the UK's business environment.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the proportionality of Vehicle Excise Duty rates for higher-emission vehicles; and whether she plans to review the differential between vehicles in the lowest and highest emission bands.
