Oral Answers to Questions

Melanie Ward Excerpts

Wednesday 15th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[Kirsty McNeill]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend, and I am absolutely delighted that somebody of Jim Hope’s stature has been appointed to lead Pride in Place investment in north-east Glasgow. It is a great example of those who know their communities best being empowered to lead, and I will follow the progress made in north-east Glasgow with very keen interest.

[Melanie Ward (Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy) (Lab)]

2. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote skills development in the defence industry in Fife.

[The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr Douglas Alexander)]

As part of the £50 million Scotland defence growth deal, we have confirmed £5 million for the Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus at Rosyth, helping to develop the advanced manufacturing skills needed to support the Type 31 frigate programme and future development opportunities arising from the new defence investment plan. This builds on an earlier £340 million investment in the Rosyth dockyard.

[Melanie Ward]

Given the threats that our country faces, in March the Secretary of State announced welcome funding for two defence technical excellence colleges, one to be in the east of Scotland. Fife college at Kirkcaldy, in particular, stands ready to absorb new funding and rapidly scale up provision to plug the gap in entry-level skills for the defence industry in Scotland. Can the Secretary of State update us on progress towards getting a Fife-based DTEC off the ground?

[Mr Alexander]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who is a tireless advocate for the people of Fife and, indeed, for its outstanding college. Our officials are in discussions with both the colleges sector and the Scottish Government, and hope that they will match the £10 million of funding that this Government have committed so that we can get on with building those skilled defence workforce jobs in the future. If only we had a Scottish Government who were investing in defence skills rather than dithering on defence! The responsibility and the opportunities of this time are huge.