Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 20 January 2026
20 Jan 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I thank the minister for his constructive engagement on the strategy; we had several interesting conversations about its critical nature. I emphasise that, although I welcome amendment 10 and although Labour will support it, there is an issue that is necessary to address. It is interesting that people have so many questions, because the fundamental issue with the bill is that no such strategy currently exists. The problem with the approach that has been taken towards the bill is that, without the strategy, we cannot be clear about whether the structure is right. It will always be problematic to have a structure before we are clear about the strategy.
I am grateful for amendment 10. Although I appreciate that a version of it was offered as a handout amendment, we could not take that because of the inherent flaw in the Government’s approach. When the minister winds up, I ask him to acknowledge that we are 10 years on from the enterprise and skills review. At the heart of the issues that Audit Scotland found was a lack of strategic direction and clarity about how systems should work together.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is stage 3 proceedings on the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill. In dealing with the amendme...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Group 1 is on a national funding strategy. Amendment 10, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendment 74.
The Minister for Higher and Further Education (Ben Macpherson)
SNP
I am grateful to the Presiding Officer, all the Parliament staff and all MSP colleagues for their engagement with this bill and I am pleased to open this aft...
Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con)
Con
The Conservative members are supportive of amendment 10, but I want to ask the minister whether it is the Scottish Government’s vision that it will make coll...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
The importance of colleges in the delivery of apprenticeships, as Mr Briggs rightly emphasises, should not be underestimated. We want our colleges to take th...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
The importance of colleges in the delivery of apprenticeships, as Mr Briggs rightly emphasises, should not be underestimated. We want our colleges to take th...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
The minister will know that Universities Scotland has expressed concern about the national funding strategy. It feels that the strategy risks encroaching on ...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I thank Willie Rennie for raising that important point and for the engagement that I have had with him on this matter, and I thank Universities Scotland for ...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Is the minister in a position to set out when the Government will publish the responses to the consultation that it recently carried out on support for part-...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I thank Pam Duncan-Glancy for raising that point and highlighting that important consultation. I will take that away as an action and update her and the Parl...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the minister for his constructive engagement on the strategy; we had several interesting conversations about its critical nature. I emphasise that, a...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Daniel Johnson
Lab
I am happy to do so.
Martin Whitfield
Lab
I am grateful to Daniel Johnson for taking the intervention and I apologise for being unable to intervene on the minister. Are we not confronted today with ...
Daniel Johnson
Lab
Indeed, and I believe that the member has provided me with an answer—that is exactly the issue that we have. This strategy might be the right solution or str...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I thank members for their contributions. By way of response to what has just been said, I emphasise that the strategic work that will be taken forward throug...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I thank members for their contributions. By way of response to what has just been said, I emphasise that the strategic work that will be taken forward throug...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We move to group 2, which is on the general duty of the Scottish ministers to support delivery. Amendment 75, in the name of Miles Briggs, is grouped with am...
Miles Briggs
Con
I start by thanking the Parliament’s legislative team for its support—to be quite honest, the team could also do with some apprentices, given the amount of l...
Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
The minister is to be commended for getting this bill to stage 3, because, frankly, he inherited a guddle and is having to work his way through it. Trying to...
Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
The minister is to be commended for getting this bill to stage 3, because, frankly, he inherited a guddle and is having to work his way through it. Trying to...
Stephen Kerr
Con
That was a compliment, Presiding Officer—I do not know how I can reach higher on compliments than to say that the minister is reasonable. My amendment would...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I thank colleagues for explaining their amendments. The two amendments in this group revisit proposals that were previously brought forward at stage 2, and w...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I thank colleagues for explaining their amendments. The two amendments in this group revisit proposals that were previously brought forward at stage 2, and w...
Miles Briggs
Con
We have not got to Willie Rennie’s amendment on the issue yet, but I think that the minister is almost making the argument against it, as it would introduce ...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
We agreed to a number of amendments at stage 2 to ensure that the voice of business and industry is even more significant under the bill. Later in today’s pr...
Miles Briggs
Con
Amendment 75 goes to the heart of some of the concerns that the Education, Children and Young People Committee has heard. Industries and businesses that are ...
Daniel Johnson
Lab
The member is right to highlight the difference between SAAB and the proposed structures. Fundamentally, SAAB is about industry representatives coming forwar...
Miles Briggs
Con
Yes, I agree with that. One of the missed opportunities is that the bill does not deal with regional skills shortages. On Friday, I was in Aberdeen, where I ...
Stephen Kerr
Con
Will the member give way?