Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 11 November 2020
11 Nov 2020 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
University and College Students (Support)
I thank the minister for advance sight of his statement and add my thanks to our further and higher education staff, who are trying to deliver as near to normal an experience as they can in this difficult year.
I welcome the positive intention to get students back home for Christmas. The Conservatives have been calling for mass asymptomatic testing of students for many months now, so I am pleased that such testing forms an intrinsic part of the plans that were announced today. In reality, however, to administer 160,000 tests in a few short weeks is ambitious and that ambition must translate into reality, so let me ask specific questions.
Can the minister guarantee that every student who wants a test will be able to access one, irrespective of their circumstance? Who will provide the tests and physically administer them, and who will provide the results? Can the minister guarantee that every student who gets the two tests will have them early enough so that they still have time to complete 14 days of isolation before Christmas—thus allowing them to get home if necessary—should they test positive?
As things stand, we are offering students a chance to go home with no idea if, or when, they will crucially be able to return to college and university—a goal towards which we must all strive. To avoid a repeat of what happened this summer, when will clear plans and guidance for semester 2 be announced?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Lewis Macdonald)
Lab
The next item of business is a statement by Richard Lochhead, on universities and colleges: supporting students to return home safely at the end of term. The...
The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science (Richard Lochhead)
SNP
I last stood in front of Parliament at the end of September to make a statement about supporting students through the global pandemic. Today, I want to provi...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
The minister will now take questions on the issues that were raised in his statement.
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the minister for advance sight of his statement and add my thanks to our further and higher education staff, who are trying to deliver as near to nor...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
I thank Jamie Greene for his questions and the constructive way in which he asked them. Clearly, our absolute objective is to ensure that students can return...
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the minister for early sight of his statement. We have been asking for some time for a plan for students to be able to return safely home at Christma...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
Iain Gray asked a number of questions, and I will do my best to answer them. On cost, we are part of a UK programme, and the UK Treasury will hopefully be c...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I would like succinct questions and answers, please, as we are running a little behind time.
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
The minister rightly recognised that, for some care-experienced students, student accommodation is their home. In addition, many international and other stud...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
Clare Adamson is absolutely correct. This year, universities are expecting more students to stay on campus and not go home for Christmas than in previous yea...
Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
As my colleague Jamie Greene said, we are pleased that the minister now recognises the potential value of testing asymptomatic students, which is something t...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
The clinical governance will be worked up in the coming days in conjunction with colleagues across the home nations. We are learning from the pilots that too...
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
SNP
I am pleased that we have clarity with regard to students going home at Christmas, but I want to look a wee bit further ahead. What safeguards will be in pla...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
We have to learn lessons from the start of the new term in September and October, when freshers arrived at university and there were outbreaks of Covid in un...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
The availability of testing of students this side of Christmas is welcome. Will the minister take the opportunity to commit to its on-going availability afte...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
I am sure that we will learn a lot from asymptomatic testing in our universities and colleges at the end of this term. We will continue to discuss the possib...
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
The Green Party’s support for asymptomatic testing is well known. I welcome today’s announcement, but I am concerned about the lack of any plan for testing s...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
I repeat the point that asymptomatic testing—indeed, any testing—is not a panacea. It plays an important role, but it is important that students and the rest...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
It is a shame that the Government has been dragged into this position; for months, political parties across the chamber have been asking for testing to happe...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
I know that it is exceedingly unlikely, but should Willie Rennie ever find himself in government, he will find that he has to listen to the advice of clinica...
Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
The minister has said that the testing programme is a UK Government programme. Will he confirm whether the Treasury has agreed to meet the costs?
Richard Lochhead
SNP
My understanding is that that is being considered by the Treasury. Quite clearly, it is a UK programme that is working with our universities and the Scottish...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I ask for complete clarity from the minister about his intentions for the testing that will follow beyond the Christmas break for returning students, many of...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
As I have said, we are of course looking at testing as part of the return of students to our institutions after the new year. However, at the moment, we are ...
Bob Doris (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
SNP
Many students will be basing their decision on whether to return home to stay with family this Christmas on a variety of factors, including financial ones. W...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
Yes. For many students, in particular those who have not been able to work due to the impact of Covid on the economy, it has been a tough time financially. T...
Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I urge the minister to give detailed timescales, because young people and their families will be expecting that, and not that he will simply look at timescal...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
There are exceptions to the current travel guidance, for which students would qualify in getting to their education. However, our guidance is, of course, bei...
Gail Ross (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
SNP
How ready are colleges and universities to provide learning online for students who cannot, or do not want to, return to halls or shared accommodation after ...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
There has been a huge shift to online learning and teaching in our colleges and universities. Clearly, however, that is not practicable for some courses, hen...