Oral Answers to Questions

Lillian Jones Excerpts

Thursday 21st May 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris Bryant]

We are listening to both sides of industry, because there are the downstream users and there is the production. The truth of the matter is that UK steel production under the previous Government fell from— I think this is correct—27 million tonnes a year to 4 million tonnes a year. If we are to meet our armaments needs in future years, we need a sovereign steel capacity in this country. We have to be able to produce British steel. We have been very careful to ensure that the quotas are cutting areas only where the UK can produce that steel.

[Lillian Jones (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab)]

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 Government introduce to support this sector as a strategic national asset?

[Chris McDonald]

My hon. Friend knows that I am a strong advocate of steel in construction, but she is right: there has been a missed opportunity on timber, particularly as many of our hardwood forests are coming to maturity, which means we will have a real surplus of hardwood in the UK. Something we will suffer from, though, is downstream processing of timber, so we need to look at how we can encourage more investment in the sawmills and downstream processing industry.

Backing Business to Create Economic Growth

Lillian Jones Excerpts

Monday 18th May 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lillian Jones (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab)]

I welcome the King’s Speech and the Government’s focus on backing business to drive economic growth across every part of the United Kingdom. I declare my interest at the outset as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the wood panel industry.

I want to begin with a positive vision of what Government can achieve when they work in genuine partnership with industry, supporting British manufacturing, strengthening domestic supply chains, creating skilled jobs and delivering the homes and infrastructure our country needs. The UK wood panel industry ought to be and should be central to that mission. It is a strategically important British sector, supplying essential products including chipboard, MDF and OSB to construction, housebuilding, furniture manufacturing and home improvement markets. It meets around 65% of domestic demand using British timber and recycled wood, directly employs more than 2,300 people, and supports a further 8,500 jobs across the wider supply chain.

Last year’s CBI report confirmed that in 2022 prices the wood panel industry added £1.1 billion of gross added value to the UK economy. Yet despite that contribution, wood and wood-based products are too often overlooked in industrial policy, particularly compared with steel, cement, ceramics and glass. That must change and it must change quickly. Timber security is national security. The UK currently imports more than 80% of its timber and wood products, leaving us exposed to global supply shocks, price volatility and geopolitical uncertainty. I welcome the solid foundation this Government have laid, but I urge Ministers to go further. First, timber security should be formally recognised within national security and supply chain resilience planning. Secondly, wood and wood-based products should be explicitly recognised within the industrial strategy as strategic construction materials, alongside steel, cement, glass and ceramics. Thirdly, we must support domestic forestry expansion and ensure that productive planting targets are actually met. Without the raw material, we cannot build the resilient supply chain we need. This is not a niche issue. It goes to the very heart of growth, jobs, housing, net zero and national resilience.

I strongly welcome the Government’s commitment to modernising public procurement and backing British business through public contracts. The Cabinet Office is right: it does matter where things are made and who makes them. Procurement should be used to put Britain’s national interest first and to back British industry. That principle must also apply to wood panel manufacturing. When taxpayers’ money is invested in infrastructure, defence accommodation, public housing and regeneration, we should be asking how we maximise the benefit to British jobs, British manufacturing and British supply chains. We have already seen the UK wood panel industry successfully win defence accommodation contracts, supporting domestic employment while delivering excellent value for money. Public procurement should not be a race to the cheapest product available anywhere in the world. It should promote quality, sustainability, resilience and long-term economic value here at home.

[Kirsteen Sullivan]

We have just heard mention of the very ambitious Government plan for investment in national infrastructure. Does my hon. Friend agree that we must consider the safety of workers in our procurement contracts and include inclusive personal protective equipment in any specification for public sector procurement going forward?

[Lillian Jones]

I agree. Health and safety should be written into public procurement contracts as standard.

Finally, economic growth is about not only national strategy but the small businesses and entrepreneurs driving our local economies at home in our communities. On the day of State Opening, I was delighted to welcome to Westminster my constituent Elaine Borland, founder of Kilmarnock-based Blowin’ Free Gin, whose premium small-batch Agronomist gin is the very best of local produce and innovation—it is available to try now in the Strangers Bar. Businesses such as hers are exactly what we should be championing, and I welcome the Government’s commitment to supporting them through exports and by promoting British excellence.

I welcome the direction set out in the King’s Speech, but I urge the Government to go further and faster: recognise strategic industries, back British supply chains, use procurement to strengthen domestic manufacturing and ensure that growth reaches every nation and region in our country. When we back British industry, support local enterprise and invest in resilient supply chains we do more than grow the economy; we create skilled jobs, strengthen the communities we serve and build a more secure future, giving hope to our great nation.

Oral Answers to Questions

Lillian Jones Excerpts

Tuesday 18th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Michael Shanks]

We are obviously still processing that news this morning, but I can say that I have had a number of conversations to ensure that the wider energy infrastructure as it relates to Mossmorran and to Grangemouth itself, and the pipelines that connect them, will not pose any risk to our energy system. As for the wider question of Acorn, I have taken that forward recently, having gained the carbon capture part of the brief, and I meet the company regularly. We have put money into that project because we want to see it succeed.

[Lillian Jones (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab)]

XLCC’s project to build the UK’s first high-voltage direct current subsea cable manufacturing factory at Hunterston, with its headquarters in my constituency, represents a major opportunity for Ayrshire. It is exactly the kind of investment in renewable energy that we need to drive growth, create jobs and strengthen our energy security. What steps is the Minister taking to support firms such as XLCC to delivery these projects?

[Michael Shanks]

One reason why we are so keen for the supply chain for the upgrade of our grid to be in the UK is our wish to ensure that there are opportunities for factories in constituencies such as my hon. Friend’s, and I recently met her, along with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and XLCC, to discuss those opportunities. XLCC is currently changing its business model but remains committed to being part of the supply chain for cables in the future, and we will continue to do everything we can to support it.

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

Lillian Jones Excerpts

Wednesday 11th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lee Anderson]

I will make some progress. As I said, there are 40,000 members left in the scheme, and it will not be that long until there are just a few thousand of us left. Meanwhile, miners and widows die without getting the justice they deserve.

Members may find it hard to believe, but I am 58 years old, and I am one of the youngest members in the scheme. Many members are over 70 years old. In fact, the average age of a member in the scheme is 75, and time is running out for these old colliers to get what they deserve.

[Lillian Jones (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab)]

Will the hon. Member give way?

[Lee Anderson]

I will make some progress. It is worth remembering that when the last member of the MPS dies, the billions of pounds in the fund go straight to the Treasury and the Government of the day, and they can spend that money on whatever they like.

Budget Resolutions

Lillian Jones Excerpts

Wednesday 6th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lillian Jones (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to contribute to this debate on the first Labour Budget in 14 years, and particularly to mention the impacts that it will have on my constituents in Kilmarnock and Loudoun, and on Scotland as a whole. This Labour Budget delivers the largest settlement for the Scottish Government in the history of devolution. It means an additional £1.5 billion for the Scottish Government to spend this financial year and an additional £3.4 billion next year. This is a Budget that keeps our promises to Scotland, ends the era of 14 years of Tory austerity, provides billions in investment in public services and prioritises economic growth. The Budget is good for the Scotland Office, good for Scottish Labour and, most importantly, good for the people of Scotland.

An aspect of the Budget that is particularly welcome is the reserved spending from the UK Government, which is necessary due to the SNP Administration in Scotland at best spending on their own priorities and, at worst, wasting money on silly vanity projects or legal fees to cover up freedom of information requests. The reserved spending will go directly to those communities who need it, such as Kilmarnock, the largest town in my community.

Despite the aforementioned biggest financial settlement in the history of devolution, the nationalists have taken Scotland in the wrong direction and have been careless with Scotland’s money. The SNP Administration cannot continue to blame others for their own economic incompetence. It is about time that they apologised to the people of Scotland for their mismanagement of public funds, but I will not hold my breath.

The problems in Scottish public services created by the SNP are not solved by having more money to spend. Put simply, the SNP needs to get smarter at spending it. The SNP wastes millions on delayed discharge and agency staff in our NHS, on ferries that never sail and on pet projects that do not deliver for Scotland, all the while decimating local communities’ funding, meaning that vital services are being lost. While Labour has committed not to increase taxes on working people, the SNP continues to try to use income tax as a substitute for economic growth, with those earning over £29,000 paying more.

Labour’s manifesto commitment to “Brand Scotland” has been realised. An initial investment of £750,000 will fund trade missions, promote Scottish goods and services around the world and help Scottish businesses export for the first time. This is the Budget that my constituents have been waiting for, the Budget that Scotland has been waiting for and the Budget that the UK has been waiting for. I fully support it.