Meeting of the Parliament 03 June 2015
The £1 billion annual funding to which this Government is committed has made some contribution. Of course, many others should be congratulated, not least of which are the staff, the students and the institutions.
I will move on to some of Liz Smith’s substantive points. I make it clear that this Government values universities’ autonomous nature. That is, in part, why we have had the confidence to invest more than £4 billion in the higher education sector since 2011, and why funding worth more than £1 billion is planned for the next academic year.
However, with many areas of Government expenditure under pressure, it is not easy to maintain that heavyweight financial commitment. As part of the return for the investment, we expect institutions to adhere to the highest governance standards.
Building on the work that has been done since the publication of the “Report of the Review of Higher Education Governance in Scotland” in 2012, we plan to introduce a bill to Parliament in the very near future. The new legislation will enhance governance arrangements in our universities.
As a Government, we want to work with universities to ensure that their governance arrangements are always evolving, modern, transparent and inclusive. Our legislative plans are designed to complement work that our institutions are already doing. The autonomous nature of our universities has many benefits, but in return for its substantial investment the Scottish Government wants to help ensure that all parts of the university community have their voices heard in a more consistent way.