Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick) NPA

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-06059, in the name of Michael Russell, on the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill.I remind all members that...

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell) SNP

I am delighted to open this debate on the principles of the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill. I thank everyone who has contributed to the development of the...

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab) Lab

You rightly say that the objective of the reform is to widen access to education for people in deprived areas, for example, and vulnerable people with learni...

Michael Russell SNP

The process of regionalisation will be part of the process of widening the offer. I am glad that the member has raised that issue, because last week, I met t...

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

Today, I received an email from Unison, which has done a quick survey around the City of Glasgow College and identified almost three pages of courses that ha...

Michael Russell SNP

I am not really surprised that Mr Findlay is behind Ruth Davidson in raising those points. She raised them some months ago but, unfortunately, she has not co...

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith) Lab

Order.

Michael Russell SNP

The process of regionalisation is providing wider opportunities across the college sector and across Glasgow. It is doing precisely that.

Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

I take your point about various aspects of the issue and that we have to weigh up other things in the balance. Could you be specific? College regionalisation...

Michael Russell SNP

There is a guarantee of widening access to higher education in the outcome agreements, and the regionalisation process will ensure better offers for every st...

Margo MacDonald (Lothian) (Ind) Ind

I thank the minister for giving way—he is taking a great number of interventions. Perhaps he should be absolutely bare-faced and honest: we will widen access...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

Members should use members’ full names.

Michael Russell SNP

Margo MacDonald is, as ever, wise, but the bill is about opening the door and creating the opportunity. Of course, moving people away from poverty in Scotlan...

Liz Smith Con

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Michael Russell SNP

I am sorry, but I am very short of time. Perhaps I will do so in a moment.It is college leaders who, right across the country, are presiding over the emergen...

Liz Smith Con

Will the cabinet secretary give way?

Michael Russell SNP

No. I am sorry, but I am coming to the end of my opening speech. I will genuinely try to take an intervention later in the debate.I turn to the issues that w...

Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP) SNP

I thank the cabinet secretary for addressing in his speech many of the issues raised in the Education and Culture Committee’s stage 1 report on the bill and ...

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

As a member of the Education and Culture Committee, I, along with my colleagues, sat through many hours of evidence on the bill, and my view on it has been s...

Margo MacDonald Ind

Those are good questions, but does the member have any answers to them? It sounds to me as though they could be issues for debate.

Neil Findlay Lab

What a fantastic question from Ms MacDonald. I just wish that she had put that point to the minister.

Stewart Maxwell SNP

Sorry, but I do not want members in the chamber to get the wrong impression of what occurred in the committee. The member raised many of those questions—he l...

Neil Findlay Lab

The committee asked the cabinet secretary question after question after question, as did the people who gave evidence, so that is utter nonsense.What about t...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

You are in your last minute.

Neil Findlay Lab

Section 14, on “Review of further and higher education”, is a provision on which Universities Scotland has raised concerns.Finally, on section 15, following ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

You must conclude.

Neil Findlay Lab

I take no pleasure in saying that the bill is not fit for purpose. The Government should recognise that, withdraw the bill and come back with one that the se...

Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

We can all agree that this is a very important time in further and higher education. There are a huge number of challenges involved in facing up to a fast-ch...

Michael Russell SNP

The member cited Professor von Prondzynski. To be fair, she should not give the impression that Professor von Prondzynski said that everything was fine and t...

Liz Smith Con

I acknowledge that, but the whole point is that Professor von Prondzynski was saying that there is no need for a radical overhaul, particularly—