Meeting of the Parliament 14 January 2016
I am delighted to open the debate. I start by thanking the Education and Culture Committee for its stage 1 report, and also the Finance Committee and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee for their contributions to the lead committee’s work.
I want to do three things in my opening remarks—first, to emphasise why the Scottish Government believes that the Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Bill will enable more modern, inclusive and transparent governance in our higher education institutions; secondly, to highlight the constructive engagement that we have had with stakeholders; and finally, to provide a summary of the amendments that we intend to lodge at stage 2 should Parliament vote for the bill to pass stage 1.
I consider the bill to be focused and discrete, with provisions that are informed by the review of higher education governance that was chaired by Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, whose report was published in 2012. Ministers commissioned that report to obtain evidence on how higher education governance could be refined as we move further into the 21st century.
Higher education institutions are autonomous—I am crystal clear on that. However, in tough economic times, the Scottish Government has again identified in its draft budget more than £1 billion of investment in our higher education sector, which will be provided next year. As part of the return on that investment, we expect institutions to adhere to the highest standards of governance.
Our higher education institutions are a great source of pride to Scotland and enjoy a worldwide reputation for excellent teaching and research. However, like any other group of high-performing organisations, they are capable of change and improvement. I want our institutions to embrace the changes that the bill will introduce. At its heart, the bill is about ensuring that all voices on campus are heard and empowered to contribute to decision making.