Backbench Business Committee

Representations: Backbench Debates

Tuesday 27 October 2026

Ordered by the House of Commons to be published on 27 October 2026.

Watch the meeting

Members present: Bob Blackman (Chair); Mary Glindon; Alison Hume; Jamie Stone; Martin Vickers.

Questions 1-3

Representations made

I: Patricia Ferguson.

Patricia Ferguson made representations.

Q1             Chair: Welcome to this meeting of the Backbench Business Committee, where we will be considering applications from colleagues for debates in the Chamber and Westminster Hall. The first application is from Patricia Ferguson for a three-hour debate in the Chamber on fixed-link connectivity in Scotland’s islands. Patricia, please present your case.

Patricia Ferguson: Thank you very much. I think it is fair to say that this is a very interesting subject, not to say fascinating to those of us on the Scottish Affairs Committee. It was first brought to our attention last year when we visited Unst to look at the spaceport at SaxaVord. We were quite surprised, I think it is fair to say, that there was such enthusiasm for the idea of fixed links, in this case tunnels, to connect some of Scotland’s islands.

The more we have looked into it, the more we have visited the islands and the more we have listened to the case, the more compelling the idea of providing more fixed links to Scotland’s islands seems to us—or at least the idea of considering them—because at the moment there are what have been described to us as intolerable limitations on the lives of people living on the islands, and on businesses too.

The ability to connect with both the mainland and other islands is very important for the islanders, but ferries have proven to be difficult in recent years. Even when the ferries are working, when things are going well, weather is a huge factor, and the distance and geography are also difficult. We think this debate request is very timely, not only because we have published our report but because there are now specific proposals for fixed links in the Shetland Islands. Just last month, Shetland secured £23 million from the Scottish Government to develop its plan for inter-island tunnels, so there is a real prospect that this major project will go ahead. It seems a timely point for the House to take stock of these developments.

Transport is devolved to the Scottish Government. We know that, so there is understandably not a lot of opportunity to debate these issues in the Commons. However, they cannot just be viewed as devolved in this context, because the ability to commute around the islands also affects our security and our industry. It affects the culture and the nature of the people of the islands, and their ability to live the kind of life that the rest of us take for granted. It is also very important in terms of the economy.

To get to Unst, we had to travel quite some distance by minibus over a number of hours, but we also had to take three ferries. Now, if you have a doctor’s appointment or if you want to go to the cinema with your family, it needs a lot of planning if you live on the islands.

Our Committee visited the Faroe Islands. There are a number of tunnels connecting the islands, and they have seen a halt in depopulation. They have seen the opportunity for people to get to the main city and to services very easily. Their theory is that everyone in the Faroe Islands lives in the same city, and that no one should have a commute of more than an hour to get to anything they need.

This seems to us to be a really exciting and very interesting issue to take up. Our report is quite a good one, if I may say so myself, and it bears further discussion among colleagues in the Chamber. The level of support we have had for our request for a debate indicates that there is cross-party support, too. I am very happy to answer any questions.

Q2             Jamie Stone: Thank you for proposing this debate. As a Committee, we have a rather large waiting list for the Chamber. You alluded to wanting it in a timely fashion. Would you consider taking a Westminster Hall debate to get it further up the list, or are you looking to wait for the Chamber?

Patricia Ferguson: My understanding is that it might not be until perhaps January or February, which would be absolutely fine. We would prefer to have it in the Chamber, if possible, rather than in Westminster Hall, because we think it needs to be looked at quite critically by colleagues from across the House. We think we can attract more people to do that if the debate is held in the Chamber. But if it needs to be Westminster Hall, obviously we would understand.

Q3             Chair: What do you hope to achieve by the debate? The reason I ask is that, as you rightly point out, transport is a devolved matter. While we could have a strong debate and reach cross-party agreement, it will presumably still be the Scottish Government who have to decide what to do on this. Am I correct in that assumption?

Patricia Ferguson: The Committee’s feeling is that the UK Government will have to be involved, too. The cost of a fixed link, a subsea tunnel, is very high. It is immense, so we think the UK Government would have to be involved, but we think the UK Government should want to be involved because of the impact on our security.

Consider getting to SaxaVord, where our spaceport is likely to be and where we will launch our satellites. If you think about the Government’s economic rationale for a lot of their work and the Prime Minister’s ambition to have opportunity in every postcode, that should not exclude the islands. The islands should be part of that agenda.

We think it is about more than just transport to or from the islands. It is also about the way of life on the islands, it is about giving people opportunity, and it is about ensuring that people can live and work on the islands.

At the moment, if you are building a house, you might have to arrange for builders to come from another part of the country, and you would certainly have to arrange for supplies to come. That might mean factoring in a three-day stay for the lorry driver. The cost of everything is so much higher for people on the islands, and we do not think that is particularly fair.

Also, if you want to give birth to a baby, you just can’t on some of the islands. You have to go to Glasgow for two weeks before the birth, and the health board will give you £60 a night. I challenge anyone to find a hotel in Glasgow for £60 a night. You might have to have children looked after. Your partner would want to come, presumably. Life is just that bit harder, and it does not need to be like that, it seems to us.

We think the UK Government would have to be involved in some way. The model used in the Faroes was that the Faroe Islands Government had loans that were underwritten by the Danish Government. That is one model. We are not prescriptive about that, but we think it is something that bears wider debate.

Chair: Thank you very much, Patricia. Any other questions? The Clerks will be in touch with you in due course. If you are interested in having a Westminster Hall debate on the subject, that does not prevent you from coming back and asking for a Chamber debate in the future.

Patricia Ferguson: Thank you. Thank you for your time.

Chair: That completes the public business of the Committee. The Committee will now go into private session to consider the application and the allocation of time.