WEST Dunbartonshire's MP has been named the SNP's spokesman on industries of the future.

Martin Docherty-Hughes has taken up the new portfolio at Westminster and said he was looking forward to getting involved in such an important brief.

He told the Reporter local firms such as Campbell & Kennedy and CircoSense showed innovation going on in the area but that there was more potential.

"I need to make sure communities get the best out of new technology in the future," said the MP. "There's a huge challenge for politicians.

"If you look at some of the new policies in the EU around data and data sharing, we are leaving the EU and the UK should be looking at accessing the digital single market."

Another issue Mr Docherty-Hughes will be looking at is digital access for businesses in more rural areas, after a survey in Gartocharn found challenges for broadband width.

Technology challenges also include limits on energy development in Scotland where they have to pay to get access to the National Grid.

The example of a country like Estonia, starting from a near clean slate after the collapse of the Soviet Union, turned itself into a digital powerhouse years before other larger countries did.

The MP said: "Estonia is a great example, but just an example that we can look to. We need to look at industrial strategy - the UK doesn't have one.

"We should all be looking at how we create jobs driven by the future and how that challenges every system across the UK. It challenges us to think completely out of the box."

In another example of challenges, Mr Docherty-Hughes pointed to foreign examples where parking tickets and insurance decisions are being judged by online systems, not humans. "It's not just replacing cleaning and caring with robots," he added. "It's a very exciting area to be involved in to make sure people are involved and informed."