A FORMER MP for the Helensburgh area who now serves as Speaker of the House of Lords has told of the importance of involving more young people in current political debates.

John McFall - also known as Lord McFall of Alcluith - served as a member of parliament for the Dumbarton constituency at Westminster, which included Helensburgh and Lomond, between 1987 and 2005 before spending a further five years as MP for West Dunbartonshire.

He was then made a 'life peer' on his retiral from the Commons and became Lord Speaker in April this year.

The ex school teacher, who is only the fourth Lord Speaker, addressed a Helensburgh Community Council webinar last week and said youth engagement is a key aspect of his current role.

He told the online session: "We want to promote work with young people and I'm very much up for that given that I'm a former school teacher.

"I want the House of Lords to reach out and engage with people, and young people in particular.

"There is no substitute to talking to young people and getting them involved and making the issues relevant for them.

"One of the paradoxes of the pandemic has been that it's made it easier for us to reach out across the whole of the United Kingdom. Since September 2020 we've reached over 16,000 young people.

"It's not a political or policy role, in many ways it's a listening role. I'm using the soft power which the House of Lords is to engage people, to bring them together, to allow them to see eye to eye and converse because the concept of good disagreement has largely fallen off particularly with social media.

"The need for rational logical engagement is very important. That's one of the things that I can do as Lord Speaker but the House of Lords can do as well."

Providing a fascinating insight into the inner workings of parliamentary life and his own role within the system, Lord McFall said the unelected House of Lords - which consists of more than 800 members including 26 Church of England representatives and 92 hereditary peers - is a vital cog in the UK legislative machine.

And he said he's keen to make the most of his time sitting on the Woolsack by utilising members' expertise to address key issues like the environmental crisis.

"We don't have any limit on our debate", he said, "so we can go further than the House of Commons.

"I see it in a very Scottish way that the House of Commons sends us legislation with a dirty face and we clean it up and we send it back to them.

"We come up with an average of 1,300 to 1,500 amendments [to Bills] each year, and about 95 per cent of these proposals are accepted.

"I established the environment and climate change committee, one of the reasons for that is obviously the urgency of the situation that faces us but the House of Commons doesn't have an equivalent committee.

"There is a developing green agenda in the House of Lords and we are very interested in that."

Lord McFall also spoke warmly of Helensburgh, and said he'd be delighted to work with the family of John Logie Baird as they and the town prepare to celebrate the centenary of the TV's pioneer's greatest achievement in five years' time.

"I did quite a lot of work when I was MP for the Helensburgh area getting John Logie Baird more recognised, and I always trumpeted the fact that he came from Helensburgh," Lord McFall said.

"In many respects I was sad to lose that part of my constituency with the Boundary Commission proposals. I always had a very positive, engaging relationship with the citizens and the politicians in Helensburgh.

"Billy Petrie was always very helpful and supportive of me in my role as a Member of Parliament.

"I used to visit schools every year around my constituency and I have very fond memories of visiting Hermitage Academy. The staff were very warm and engaging and the young people were really responsive in that area."