Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alistair Carmichael and Luke Pollard

Monday 2nd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Luke Pollard]

Since I met my hon. Friend, we have been discussing how we can not only roll out faster the new munitions factories that the Government have committed to deliver but support growth in skills, and our £182 million for skills in the defence industrial strategy includes skills funding for Wales. The defence growth deal provides the opportunity to uplift skills for defence right across Wales, and I am happy to continue our conversations on how that can benefit my hon. Friend’s constituents in Pembrokeshire.

[Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD)]

4. What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of UK defence resources in the High North.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alistair Carmichael and Luke Pollard

Monday 18th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD)]

On Friday, the UK Defence Journal reported on the activities of the Russian research and intelligence vessel Yantar in the Irish sea, in the vicinity of various cables. This is not new; we had the same thing last year in the North sea and off Shetland. Given the sheer quantity of cables and pipelines now in the seabed, what are the Government doing to ensure that that critical national infrastructure is properly protected?

[Luke Pollard]

Let the House be in no doubt that the United Kingdom and our armed forces will defend our critical national infrastructure undersea cables. We have a strategy and armed forces protecting our cables, and we are working with our allies to do so. I suspect that that will also feature as a recommendation in the strategic defence review when it is published next year.