Defence Minister Baroness Goldie will appear before the Scottish Affairs Committee as it concludes its evidence gathering on Defence in Scotland: Military Personnel and Estate.
Now more than ever, defence priorities and the UK’s military capabilities in Scotland have been brought into sharp focus with the increasing threat posed by Russia.
The Committee has been gathering evidence on what the UK’s changing defence priorities have meant for Scotland, the Armed Forces and the communities living in the vicinity of defence bases. The Scottish Government has said that due to Scotland’s surrounding seas and deep waters, easy access to ports and clear skies, Scotland is well-placed strategically to provide considerable defence capabilities for the UK.
However, the Committee has been told that various Scottish bases are at risk of closure, Ministry of Defence spending with Scottish SMEs lags well behind other parts of the UK, and that the UK Government is behind its target to increase the number of Scottish-based Regular Armed Forces personnel to 12,500.
Meeting details
This evidence session will be the opportunity for the Committee to reflect on the evidence heard so far with the Minister responsible for the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland devolved authorities at the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Likely topics to be discussed are:
- The impacts on Scotland of changing UK defence priorities;
- Whether the MoD's capabilities in Scotland should be increased given the growing threat posed by Russia;
- Fostering defence industry in Scotland;
- MoD collaboration with the Scottish Government and local authorities;
- The impacts of MoD base closures and the release of surplus MoD land;
- The impacts of growing MoD bases on Scottish communities;
- The movement of UK Armed Forces personnel and their families between Scotland and other parts of the UK.
Following Monday’s evidence session, the report will be written for publication in due course.