Alison Taylor MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 12 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for speaking to me about the poor postal service in Dargavel Village in Bishopton. I know he is working hard to resolve matters and answer questions and had meetings yesterday, and I thank him for that. However, as he will appreciate, this matter is of particular importance in Scotland due to the elections on 7 May, because postal votes will be issued soon. In Scotland we have an NHS with significant waiting lists, and we cannot have people missing medical appointments, so on behalf of residents of Bishopton in particular, may I stress the urgency of this matter?

• 11 Mar 2026 · UK-based Tech Companies · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Mr Betts. I thank the hon. Member for Bromley and Biggin Hill (Peter Fortune) for securing such an important debate—a debate that is of significance to my constituency and the role it plays in supporting UK-based tech companies. In my former career as a chartered surveyor, I worked on a project in the constituency to create an innovation zone around Glasgow international airport, funded in part by the UK Government’s city deal. The Chancellor has now committed to further support with £30 million of direct investment from the UK Government to expand that project. This Labour Government’s commitment to continue to invest directly in such long-term initiatives is most welcome, and it has made a huge impact on the economic and upskilling opportunities for generations of residents in my constituency. The zone, which includes the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland—also known as AMIDS—would not be there without UK Government support, which has helped to fund large infrastructure works including two new bridges, land reclamation, decontamination and active travel routes. All that preparatory construction work paved the way for the iconic anchor building, the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, to be completed. Its completion has already acted as a catalyst for future investment. It is helping to make tech companies more productive, resilient and sustainable. It also pioneers and harnesses AI to drive smarter, data-led production, turning breakthrough ideas and inventions into high-impact industrial products. The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland is also a leader in the circular economy and in recycling industrial products such as wind turbine blades. Working in conjunction with academia from across Scotland and the local West College Scotland, that collaboration drives innovation and new technologies. The new innovation zone supports emerging sectors such as photonics, which is important for medical imaging, solar power and high-speed telecoms. Advanced manufacturing in the zone will also support sectors such as net zero shipping, energy-efficient aerospace, the circular economy and green jobs. It is a model for how the Government can drive growth and support innovation in the tech sector. I will conclude by thanking the Government for undertaking recently to identify barriers to growth, including considering further measures to support access to finance, which is crucial for the emerging tech sector. All those measures are most welcome.

• 11 Mar 2026 · UK-based Tech Companies · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member mentions a specific sector of the tech economy. Does he agree that tech companies do best when they are clustered together, particularly in innovation zones, so that they can share emerging knowledge and technologies, and link in with academia?

• 3 Mar 2026 · Spring Forecast · Hansard source

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  Does the Chancellor agree that sound management of the economy has provided the fiscal headroom to invest in large infrastructure projects, in contrast with Scotland, where the SNP Government cancelled the Glasgow airport rail link and sold off the land at a loss?

• 25 Feb 2026 · Student Loan Repayment Plans · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford South (Jas Athwal) for raising such an important debate. I declare an interest as the mother of a daughter who still has a student loan. I was the first in my family, male or female, to go to university, and when I went, it was an opportunity confined to just one in 20 young people. Today, that number is more like one in two. The design of the loans and repayment plans are the creation of the previous Government, and is one of many legacy issues that have been left for this Government to clean up. Students who are alarmed at having made payments and yet finding themselves even further in debt, are victims of the Conservative’s appalling management of the economy, which led to a RPI well above 12% in 2022. Opposition claims that they would now cap rates ring hollow, given they did little about them when they were in power. As this Government get the economy and inflation under control, the interest rate will come down. It is right that the Government keep the impact of loans on students and young people under review. Students should not feel the burden of their families’ financial position. Wealth inequalities in society should not lead to inequalities of outcomes for students.

• 12 Feb 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  In a challenging geopolitical world, would the Leader of the House agree that Scotland both contributes to and benefits from the security of the United Kingdom as a whole?

• 11 Feb 2026 · Woodland Creation · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North (Chris Curtis) for securing this worthwhile debate. Scotland is home to some outstanding examples of both natural and created woodland. In my constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire North, which is a mix of urban and rural geography, we have the Boden Boo woodland hidden below the Erskine bridge, which spans the River Clyde. I also love to visit the Finlaystone estate with my daughter. It is a vast woodland area on the border of the neighbouring constituency, that of my hon. Friend the Member for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West (Martin McCluskey), and it sells Christmas trees during the festive period. Woodland creation brings so many benefits, and I want to bring them to hon. Members’ attention today. We have all recently seen the devastating impact of flooding. In some places, woodlands can help to naturally manage flooding. They help slow down water reaching watercourses and ease the pressure on catchments. Growing trees trap harmful carbon dioxide and at least temporarily reduce the impact of our emissions from fossil fuels. Woodlands can provide a habitat for thousands of native species, from insects to small mammals and birds. They are especially important for pollinators such as bumblebees and butterflies, providing a safe refuge all year round and supporting insects with a reliable food source thanks to a rich diversity of pollen and nectar-producing plants. There are very few communities around the UK that could not benefit from more woodland, and I am glad to lend my voice in support of long-term, ambitious commitments to woodland creation. Woodland creation is not just an environmental issue; it is about climate delivery, economic resilience, rural jobs and national security. The UK currently imports over 80% of the timber it uses, leaving us exposed to global price volatility and supply shocks. However, there is a problem with the planting of conifer trees. Since 2010, broadleaf woodland has increased, but conifer woodland has declined in England. Only around 12% of new woodland creation has been conifer—far below the minimum of 30% that is widely cited as necessary for net zero and timber security. That matters because only fast-growing conifers will lock up meaningful volumes of carbon by 2050, and softwood provides the bulk of the timber the UK uses. Home-grown timber is strategically important to national resilience and security. Global supply is tightening and future demand is projected to outstrip supply, increasing international competition for timber. In my former profession in the property industry, decarbonising construction has been a key priority over the last decade or so. I believe the property industry has leant into the environmental challenges ahead of the curve and used innovation to find solutions. Timber can reduce embodied carbon in buildings by 20% to 60% while storing carbon in long-lived products. Yet only 9% of new homes in England are timber-framed, compared with over 90% in Scotland—a major missed opportunity. Timber is so important to jobs and growth—a priority of this Labour Government. Expanding productive forestry and domestic processing supports skilled rural employment, strengthens UK supply chains and keeps value in the United Kingdom. Nature and timber are not in conflict. This issue is too often framed as biodiversity versus timber, but the evidence is clear: this is not a binary choice. If we are serious about net zero, we must be serious about woodland creation. That means planting productive conifers as well as native trees. Without home-grown timber, the climate maths, the housing challenge and our economic resilience and national security simply do not add up.

• 11 Feb 2026 · Woodland Creation · Hansard source

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  Does the Minister have any comment on the lack of conifers being planted and the need to have them alongside broadleaf trees?

• 11 Feb 2026 · Storm Chandra Flooding · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady is making an exceptional speech. There was an excellent debate this afternoon in Westminster Hall on tree planting, with thoughtful contributions from a number of Members. Does the hon. Lady agree that tree planting is essential not just to biodiversity, lowering temperatures and carbon capture, but for preventing flooding?

• 11 Feb 2026 · Economic Impact of Government Policies · Hansard source

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  Does the Minister agree that Northern Ireland, like Scotland and Wales, shares the benefits of a united United Kingdom and its collective spending power, generating jobs and opportunities across the four countries of the United Kingdom?

• 2 Feb 2026 · Tolled Crossings and Regional Connectivity · Hansard source

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  Does my hon. Friend agree that there would also be an environmental cost to not using the crossings, because vehicles have to travel longer distances, since usually the crossings present the straight and most direct route?

• 27 Jan 2026 · FTSE 100 Index · Hansard source

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  Does the Minister agree that cutting paperwork and speeding access to capital will provide a valuable boost to companies looking to list their shares on the London Stock Exchange? Is she hearing that from the companies that she is meeting, because that is what I have been hearing while I have been out engaging with businesses in Scotland?

• 27 Jan 2026 · FTSE 100 Index · Hansard source

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  17. If she will make an assessment of the potential impact on the economy of the FTSE 100 index rising above 10,000 points.

• 27 Jan 2026 · UK Bus Manufacturing · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under you, Dr Murrison. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk (Euan Stainbank) for leading on such a critical issue for his constituents. As of the third quarter of 2023, the UK manufactured only around 17% of UK buses, employing around 4,400 people while also supporting supply chains. That is undoubtedly an economic benefit, but it is also less harmful for our precious planet. Transporting large goods from as far away as China obviously has a detrimental environmental impact. Britain should be at the heart of manufacturing electric buses for our own use, driving forward the green transition to halt climate change. In my constituency, which covers part of Glasgow, improving air quality has undoubted health benefits. Driving change does not happen by accident; it needs a strategy, a plan, hard work and investment. The demand for electric buses will only continue to grow. I hope we can ensure that domestic demand is primarily met here. Alexander Dennis has faced significant issues over the last few years, and I hope they are temporary and resolvable. The future of bus manufacturing in the UK should be strong and positive, build on the existing manufacturing base and be supported by a strong domestic pipeline of orders. There is no shortage of existing sites for the expansion of bus manufacturing in Scotland. Bus manufacturing companies seeking new sites need look no further than the advanced manufacturing district for Scotland at Glasgow airport in my own constituency, which has an ample supply of land, access to the White Cart river for water, good motorway connections and a developer and a local authority poised to construct low-carbon buildings at a reasonable cost. Communities like mine in Paisley and Renfrewshire North need more and better buses, including slicker, smaller buses that can wind through our housing estates. The reliability and availability of buses and their routes comes up frequently on the doors of my constituency, particularly in Gallowhill, Ferguslie Park, Erskine, Renfrew, Penilee and Cardonald, where they are a lifeline to doctor’s appointments, work and seeing families and friends. My constituents need to know that more buses will be coming very soon.