Hansard

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...