Scottish Affairs Committee in 2024-25 and Industrial Transition Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateKirsteen Sullivan
Main Page: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)Scottish Affairs Committee in 2024-25 and Industrial Transition
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Elaine Stewart
Yes, it was absolutely fantastic to see the young people at Babcock and BAE Systems. It was great to see their enthusiasm and how they are looking forward in their lives. I asked questions such as, “What have you done since you became an apprentice?” They said, “I’ve bought a new car and I’ve been able to go on holiday. I’m going to buy a house.” Those are the things that we want our young people to aspire to, so it is great to see companies making sure that apprenticeships are in place for them.
Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. As a Committee member, I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (Elaine Stewart) for this statement. My constituency of Bathgate and Linlithgow has a proud industrial tradition, from mining and manufacturing to electronics. However, when companies closed and industries shut down, that had an absolutely devastating impact on local communities. Will my hon. Friend talk a bit more about the legacy of deindustrialisation for our young people—particularly in Scotland, where one in six young people are not in education, employment or training?
Elaine Stewart
My constituency has problems similar to those in my hon. Friend’s. When mines, textile factories and companies close, it leaves a terrible legacy for our young people. We are now into a fourth generation of unemployed young people who have no skills, no jobs and no opportunities. That rips the heart out of not just communities but opportunities. When those things happen, people migrate to other areas. The young people are not living in the area, buying houses and spending in the local economy, so that has a terrible long-lasting effect. Some of our communities still feel that at this moment in time.