Welcoming the publication of the local power plan, I note that communities in my constituency are engaged with wind energy wealth. To expand community energy, we must connect to the grid. The tailored support for communities mentioned is welcome, but there needs to be priority support from Ofgem, grid operators, and this Government.

The figures for Project Gigabit roll-out are impressive, but in the Western Isles, 10% of constituents cannot get more than 10 megabits per second. While welcoming Project Gigabit, Crichton noted that initial areas being considered for connection already have good fibre availability, leaving harder-to-reach places behind. He asked whether Openreach will be pressed to ensure connections are made in these hard-to-reach regions.

Can the Minister give us a similar assurance on the integrity of cables and communications between our islands across the Pentland Firth, the Minch, the Irish sea and even the Isle of Wight?

Welsh does very well out of broadcasting, but I am glad that the Western Isles are well represented on the airwaves just now. The stand-out star of this season's “The Traitors” is Stephen Libby from the Isle of Lewis—I think he is going to win it this weekend. I am glad that Gaelic has its place in the Government’s Green Paper on broadcasting, but the UK Government give S4C £7.5 million a year to develop digital broadcasting, while BBC Alba, the Scottish channel, gets nothing. Will the Minister join me in my efforts to get the UK Government to re-engage with Gaelic broadcasting as a cultural and economic dynamo?

When it comes to creating clean jobs and local wealth, there is no better example than the community-owned wind farm sector in my Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency. I welcome what the Government have done to clean up the grid connection queue, but the community-owned wind farm sector in my constituency is still stalled and cannot get access to the national grid. The National Energy System Operator, Ofgem and private companies all want to promote community energy, but unless Ministers direct the regulators and grid operators to give priority to community-owned wind farms, that will not happen. I would like to discuss this issue with Ministers, but I also ask them to come and see how community-owned wind farms create wealth and clean jobs in my area.

Bliadhna mhath ùr—happy new year to you, Mr Speaker. Will the Minister update the House on Cameron barracks in Inverness and plans to move some asylum seekers to that town?

Western Isles Women’s Aid in my constituency helped 180 women last year. The refuge is working at capacity, yet its funding is uncertain. That is why my fundraiser on Friday will seek to raise funds for the organisations. More than 1,800 women reported domestic abuse in the highlands 10 years ago; last year the figure was closer to 2,800. Does the Secretary of State agree that in rural and island communities it takes a lot of courage for women to report domestic abuse, yet we can see from the figures that domestic abuse is no less prevalent?

Has the Treasury made any assessment of the SNP's plans to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK? This separation would disrupt trade accounting for 60% of Scotland’s economy. Additionally, I thank the Chancellor for the £820 million extra for the Scottish budget.

What steps is his Department taking to improve the UK's trading relationships with other countries? I welcome the Secretary of State to his place and invite him to Benbecula Distillery in my constituency. It recently secured £1.5 million from the British Business Bank’s investment fund. What is he doing to ensure that this new wave of small Scottish distilleries will be part of the next round of trade deals?

Does the Secretary of State agree that the Conservatives have got a cheek? Some 77,000 jobs drifted out of the North sea under their Government, and they did not lift a finger. This Government, along with the Scottish Government, invested £18 million in a transition fund to help oil and gas workers move into energy jobs.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce digital exclusion in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency? The contract signed by Building Digital UK for £157 million aims to deliver broadband across the Western Isles, but Torcuil Crichton notes that this money has not reached the end users. He mentions constituents in Swordale who have all utilities except broadband and questions why Openreach is not extending coverage further despite making millions from installations down major routes.

I reiterate the concerns raised last night by my fellow journalist and hon. Friend the Member for Earley and Woodley (Yuan Yang) in highlighting Gaza as the deadliest war for journalists. Over 189 have been killed since October 2023, despite reporters being categorised as protected civilians under international law. Israel seems set on a deadly campaign to silence journalists in Gaza while refusing entry to other international journalists. Can the Secretary of State join me in condemning that strategy and in paying tribute to those who are risking their lives to get news out of Gaza, and also commend our own domestic broadcasters—including the much-maligned BBC—for keeping us informed on what is going on there?

What discussions she has had with local authorities in Scotland on community regeneration funding? The £20 million community regeneration partnership with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Western Isles council, will help develop the marine economy of Vatersay and Barra, the cultural heritage of Eriskay and North Uist and the spinal route through the islands. It puts islanders in the driving seat using the muscle of the UK Government.

What recent discussions has the Minister had with representatives of the broadcasting sector in Scotland? The islanders have always been international ambassadors, and some Lewis chess pieces are going to France, symbolizing a bit of Gaelic Scotland. 'An t-Eilean', MG Alba’s detective series, was watched by 1.8 million viewers globally. Can we see a Scotland-wide growth deal for Gaelic broadcasting, cultural heritage items like the Lewis chess pieces, and childcare to grow social infrastructure?

Will Ministers ensure that Dame Barbara Woodward takes a message from my constituents, including Mairi MacKinnon, Ian Stephen, Louise Scullion and Malcolm MacLean, who expressed their disgust and condemnation of the Israeli Government using food as a weapon of war?

May I tempt the Minister on a voyage to a far-off island? St Kilda is almost 50 miles off the coast of Lewis, and it comes within my constituency and within the Minister’s remit as one of those rare things, a UNESCO double world heritage site. Will the Minister meet me and representatives of the Uig community in Lewis who want to build a global interpretation centre, a template for remote viewing these vulnerable sites? The meeting could be here in Whitehall, in Uig in Lewis, or on St Kilda.

I thank the Minister for that answer and the assurance from the Dispatch Box that the maximum level of debt repayment from a household's universal credit is to be reduced from 25% to 15% each month. That is great news for Scottish families, who could benefit by an average of £420 a year. Much of that debt management is carried out at the DWP centre in Stornoway in my constituency, and some 65 of the 80 staff there are involved in responding to calls nationally.

What steps she is taking to help reduce levels of poverty. After 14 years of Conservative Government, 8 million adults and 4.3 million children were left in poverty. Among other things, £240 million was recently announced in the Budget to support better work so that people can get the dignity of a good job and the security of a proper wage.

Can the Minister update us on how the talks are going?

Will he now use the full firepower of the Scotland Office to convince Cabinet colleagues and industry players of the vital role and potential of the Arnish fabrication yard in Stornoway and its sister yard in Methil, both of which are coming up for sale as part of the going to market of Harland & Wolff? Will he assure workers at the Arnish yard and at Stornoway port that they will play a big role in the renewables future and in GB Energy?