Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Defence Industrial Strategy on skilled jobs and apprenticeships in Scotland.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence is making a landmark investment in Scotland’s future defence workforce, including apprenticeships, through the Defence Industrial Strategy’s £182 million skills package and the Scotland Defence Growth Deal.
The Scotland Defence Growth Deal has identified skills as a core priority and will support interventions to address skills shortages across the defence sector. This includes a proposed ÂŁ10 million investment in up to two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in Scotland, creating pathways into careers in defence engineering, advanced manufacturing and maritime technologies.
Scotland will also benefit from UK-wide initiatives such as the UCAS Defence Portal, which will promote awareness of high-quality careers in defence and the apprenticeship and graduate routes into them. Similarly, through the Defence Universities Alliance, we are working with the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde to grow collaboration between MOD, universities and defence industries to support skills and the pipeline of students into rewarding careers.
In addition, major defence programmes are creating apprenticeship opportunities in Scotland. The Type 31 frigate programme in Rosyth, for example, currently supports around 150 apprenticeships and is expected to generate further apprenticeship opportunities over the lifetime of the programme.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase apprenticeships in the defence sector in Scotland.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence is making a landmark investment in Scotland’s future defence workforce, including apprenticeships, through the Defence Industrial Strategy’s £182 million skills package and the Scotland Defence Growth Deal.
The Scotland Defence Growth Deal has identified skills as a core priority and will support interventions to address skills shortages across the defence sector. This includes a proposed ÂŁ10 million investment in up to two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in Scotland, creating pathways into careers in defence engineering, advanced manufacturing and maritime technologies.
Scotland will also benefit from UK-wide initiatives such as the UCAS Defence Portal, which will promote awareness of high-quality careers in defence and the apprenticeship and graduate routes into them. Similarly, through the Defence Universities Alliance, we are working with the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde to grow collaboration between MOD, universities and defence industries to support skills and the pipeline of students into rewarding careers.
In addition, major defence programmes are creating apprenticeship opportunities in Scotland. The Type 31 frigate programme in Rosyth, for example, currently supports around 150 apprenticeships and is expected to generate further apprenticeship opportunities over the lifetime of the programme.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces veterans reside in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency; and what support his Department provides for veterans’ mental health in Scotland.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
The 2022 census reported in Hamilton and Clyde, that there were 2,551 people who had previously served in the UK armed forces. Health is devolved across the UK, and as such systems differ in the Devolved Governments, with Scotland having their own mental health support provision for veterans.
In November 2025, the Government published its 10-year Veterans Strategy, setting a new vision that recognises veterans as one of the UK's great strategic assets. Applying across the UK and spanning government, business and wider society, the strategy aims to ensure every veteran is celebrated for their service, empowered to fulfil their potential, and supported where needed, while recognising that most are better off for having served.
This Government has launched VALOUR, a new system designed to make it easier for veterans across the UK, including in Scotland, to access the care and support, including the provision of mental health support. VALOUR Recognised Centres will provide access to a range of services, while a network of Field Officers will bring together charities, service providers and local authorities to improve coordination and collaboration. A central VALOUR HQ within the MOD will use data and insight to help ensure services are responsive to veterans' needs and local priorities.