Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 06 March 2018
06 Mar 2018 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Higher Education (Widening Access)
I thank the minister for early sight of her statement. The minister knows that Labour members support her aims of widening access to higher education in general, and to universities in particular.
The progress that we have made is very welcome, but what is especially welcome is the minister’s assertion—which she just repeated—that the issue is about access not just to a freshers’ fair but to graduation day and beyond. She is right; living and surviving at university are important, as is getting there in the first instance. That is why full non-repayable bursaries are so important for care-experienced students. However, surely the minister can see that access to non-repayable bursaries and grants to live on while studying are also critical to young people from deprived backgrounds who are considering university, because they will not be able to turn to their families for financial help.
Will the minister therefore commit to restoring the money that has been cut from grants, and to shifting the balance between grants and loans for living, back towards grants for students from low-income backgrounds?
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
The next item of business is a statement by Shirley-Anne Somerville on widening access to higher education. The minister will take questions at the end of he...
The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science (Shirley-Anne Somerville)
SNP
Scotland has a world-class higher education sector. We currently have five universities in the top 200 in the world and, each year, students from around 200 ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The minister will take questions.
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I thank the minister for the early sight of her statement. I have three areas of questioning. First, Sir Peter Scott said in his recommendations: “the fixe...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
As I mentioned in my statement, I recognise that some people have concerns about displacement. I point Liz Smith to the fact that the commissioner for fair a...
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the minister for early sight of her statement. The minister knows that Labour members support her aims of widening access to higher education in gene...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
I begin by noting that Iain Gray and I agree on something, which does not happen often during questions on statements. It is important that we recognise the ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Before I call Ruth Maguire, I remind members that I give the opening speakers from the Labour and Conservative parties dispensation to make a few opening rem...
Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
SNP
Does the minister agree that whatever barriers people face before they get to university, they do not simply disappear the second that they get a place? Give...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council’s widening access and retention fund is providing £14.7 million of funding in 2017-18 to help stude...
Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Con)
Con
In the context of recommendations 17 and 18 in Sir Peter Scott’s report, how will the Scottish Government ensure that pupils from SIMD 20 areas have more acc...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
We are looking at that as part of the learner journey work that the Scottish Government is undertaking. It is very important that we ensure that school stude...
Jenny Gilruth (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)
SNP
I remind members that I am the parliamentary liaison officer to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. What role will our schools and colleges play...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
I am very interested in tracking the progress of all the universities, which I follow closely. However, I welcome the work that the new principal of the Univ...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
In her statement, the minister pointed to institutions and the Scottish funding council addressing articulation and contextualised admission. However, given ...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
I absolutely see that there is a role for Government to encourage articulation. That role will certainly be demonstrated in the next few months when I finali...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
The cost of everything from rent to transport remains a barrier to widening access, and current financial support for students from low-income backgrounds si...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
As I said to Iain Gray, the Government will be responding to the recommendations of the review of student support in due course. We will look at the review t...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
I, too, thank the minister for early sight of her statement. I met apprentices in Lerwick and Scalloway yesterday—no doubt, many other colleagues have met ...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
I reiterate that it is important that we encourage young people to choose the destination after school that is right for them. Universities, colleges, direct...
Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
SNP
It seems that there is a real disparity between universities in terms of accepting young people from more disadvantaged areas. Does the minister agree that m...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
I have made it very clear in my expectations of the sector that, when I talk about widening access to university, I mean not just some of the universities bu...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I apologise to the four members who did not get in to ask a question, but I am afraid that we have run out of time. We have too many items of business this a...