Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)10 March 2021
I am delighted to close the debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. In truth, the bill simply corrects an anomaly in the further education system, as has been the consensus among members from across the chamber who have spoken in the debate. The bill’s aim is to remove a legislative prohibition that prevents the University of St Andrews from holding qualifying examinations and awarding degrees in medicine and dentistry. The reason for taking action at this time is to allow the University of St Andrews, jointly with the University of Dundee, to award undergraduate UK primary medical qualifications to Scottish graduate entry medicine students. The first set of students is due to complete the four-year course and graduate in 2022.
As was indicated earlier, that prohibition is unfair and anti-competitive, and it no longer serves a purpose. In removing the prohibition, the bill therefore creates a fairer higher education sector, enabling all of Scotland’s institutions to maximise the options and opportunities that they offer to students.
The importance of the bill can be appreciated against the well-documented background of Scotland generally being short of clinicians: we are well over 800 GPs short, and Audit Scotland highlighted to the Health and Sport Committee that the plans put forward by the Scottish Government will still leave a significant shortfall of some 650 GPs at the end of the programme. Any step that allows for an increase in the number of those attaining a medical qualification must be welcome.
There was widespread general support for the repeal of the prohibition among the written submissions and oral evidence that were given to the committee, and one of the main reasons for that support was that the bill will bring the University of St Andrews school of medicine into line with other medical schools in Scotland, allowing the university to award the ScotGEM primary medical qualification—PMQ—jointly with the University of Dundee.
It was argued that students who enrolled on the ScotGEM programme of study were given a clear expectation that their degree would be jointly awarded by the universities of St Andrews and Dundee. For a number of students, that joint award was an important factor in their decision to apply, and it was a matter of fairness to ScotGEM students that they should receive that joint degree. The written submission from ScotGEM highlighted that the vast majority of students who responded to the survey were strongly supportive of obtaining that joint degree.
The University of Dundee supported the prohibition being removed only partially, for the purpose of ScotGEM, and remaining in place for all other degree-awarding purposes. That was on the basis that there could potentially be adverse unintended consequences to the education and training environment in Scotland. The Scottish Conservatives are supportive of the ScotGEM programme, however, and we also support the removal of the prohibition to allow the University of St Andrews to award degrees in medicine and dentistry. We recognise that the prohibition is unfair and that it was not intended to remain permanently in place. For that reason, only a partial removal of the prohibition would not be appropriate.
There was an issue of whether the University of St Andrews will compete to establish the new medical school, but that is not provided for in the bill and would not require additional legislative changes. Although discussions around proposals for that new medical school have been postponed, we think it prudent that, when they are resumed, they take into consideration the wider evidence heard by the Health and Sport Committee during scrutiny of the bill on NHS recruitment and widening access to medicine.
I thank fellow members of the Health and Sport Committee, especially those who are not returning to the Parliament, for all their work. It has been an honour to work with them under your stewardship, Presiding Officer. I also add my tribute to the cabinet secretary, Jeane Freeman, for whom I have the greatest respect. We have sat in opposition and have debated many times, but always with respect and courtesy. I wish her well.
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