Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 04 December 2025
04 Dec 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Widening Access to Higher Education
I will be happy to update the member on that in due course, but I am not able to provide an answer at this juncture. I thank her for raising the point—I appreciate the importance of the issue and will get back to her on it.
There is more to do, but, as I was saying, there has been progress. The proportion of black and minority ethnic Scotland-domiciled entrants from the 20 per cent most deprived areas entering Scottish universities has grown from 24.2 per cent in 2016-17 to 28 per cent in 2023-24.
Both the convener in his speech and the report emphasised the need for further progress, but we must also acknowledge the difference that has been made. We all think of those percentages and that wider summary of the national picture, but we will all have met many individuals in our constituencies who have managed to go to university—often via college—despite perhaps not considering that route before and who are now making a difference in certain professions or in growing sectors in our economy. Those stories are important, because they amplify the necessity of making sure that people are aware of the opportunities that are there for them in their communities.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-19984, in the name of Douglas Ross, on behalf of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, on w...
Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to open this debate on the committee’s inquiry into widening access to higher education. I thank all those who shared their knowledge and expert...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I have heard the unique learner number described as a “bureaucratic nicety”. Does Douglas Ross agree that it is far from that and that it would be a fundamen...
Douglas Ross
Con
I agree with Martin Whitfield on that point, as does almost everyone who gave evidence to our committee. There was almost unanimous support, not just in the ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
We have a little bit of time in hand, so members will certainly get back the time for any interventions. I call Ben Macpherson. Minister, you have around eig...
The Minister for Higher and Further Education (Ben Macpherson)
SNP
I thank the convener and the members of the committee, as it is their work, and that of all the stakeholders who gave evidence to the committee, that enables...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome that progress, but can the minister set out when he will be in a position to respond to the consultation on support for disabled students and part-...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I will be happy to update the member on that in due course, but I am not able to provide an answer at this juncture. I thank her for raising the point—I appr...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
The minister is right to point out some of the progress—there is no doubt that there has been some—but we are here to try to make things better. He is four m...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I appreciate the member probing me on those points. One key bit of progress was shown yesterday in the action that is being taken in the Tertiary Education a...
Martin Whitfield
Lab
Does that not relate to the convener’s question about the unique learner number? If we can introduce that for what is, sadly, a relatively large group of peo...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I appreciate the points about the unique learner number that have been made by the member, by the convener in his speech and in the committee’s report. As ot...
Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
Will the minister take an intervention?
Douglas Ross
Con
Will the minister take an intervention?
Ben Macpherson
SNP
Two members are on their feet. I will take Brian Whittle’s intervention.
Brian Whittle
Con
I am grateful to the minister for taking so many interventions. I am slightly concerned about the Government’s reticence across a lot of portfolios to implem...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
This Parliament, even in my time here, has had many debates on systems and data sharing, be it in relation to social security, the considerations around name...
Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I, too, thank all the people who gave evidence to the committee and all the organisations that provided helpful briefings ahead of the debate. In seven minut...
Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
I am grateful to Miles Briggs for going down that path, shocked as I am that he quoted Keir Starmer. The reason for that is that one of my long-standing conc...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
I can give you the time back, Mr Briggs.
Miles Briggs
Con
I absolutely agree with Stephen Kerr. We need a new vision for how such advice is delivered and we need different organisations to provide the opportunity fo...
Martin Whitfield
Lab
I am grateful to Miles Briggs for taking my intervention. Is it not right to say that that loss of lifelong learning happened to coincide with when part-time...
Miles Briggs
Con
Absolutely. It is a fact that we have lost more than 100,000 places on such courses in our college sector. That has had huge impacts on every part of our soc...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
To start, I thank my colleagues on the Education, Children and Young People Committee, the clerks who supported us and all those who gave evidence in this im...
Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green)
Green
I thank the committee members, the clerks and everyone who gave evidence to the inquiry, because this report matters. Free, universal and equitable access to...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I thank the clerks and the witnesses who gave evidence to the committee, as well as my fellow committee members. I can honestly say that there was universa...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
For the sake of clarity, I was not quite as excited about it as Mr Rennie was. Laughter.
Willie Rennie
LD
Two very important universities have been part of my life. The first is what I called Paisley tech when I was there in the 1980s, which is now the University...
Jamie Hepburn (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
SNP
I am grateful for the chance to take part in today’s debate. I am not a member of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, but I am grateful to th...
Willie Rennie
LD
I can attest that John McKendrick is a good addition to the team. Can Mr Hepburn tell us why he did not progress the unique learner number? What was his ins...