Chamber and committees

Is there not a risk that, if the provision becomes a statutory requirement, that might discourage trusts from giving money? At the moment, trusts might think, “This is a voluntary exercise in the charitable sector.” Would they have a valid argument in saying, if the Parliament is requiring such provision, the Parliament should pay the money?

But we will need more teachers to get involved in residential outdoor education. It will not be possible to rely only on the teachers who are already involved in it.

On a completely different point, you still have one female and six males on the board. How long will that continue, and when will there be a bit of a balance?

Right, okay. That is fine.

The report indicates that service user satisfaction is at 76 per cent. Is that good or bad?

I want to ask about the 1 per cent for admin costs. I am wondering how realistic that is going to be. I saw that you have been doing work on green freeports relief; I suspect that that relief might mean that your revenues fall. You have also been doing work on the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, and you might not get very much money out of that. Is the 1 per cent realistic? I get your point about digitisation and that kind of thing.

However, none of the centres in Scotland could cope with a whole class from a special needs school.

Do you have any suggestions as to where the capital should come from?

Finally, I will press you again on the point raised by Ross Greer and others about teachers’ attitudes. At the moment, teachers’ involvement in residential outdoor education is voluntary. Although I have not done any studies on this, I imagine that younger or single teachers will be more enthusiastic about it and more able to take part.

The NASUWT told the Education, Children and Young People Committee that it already advises its members not to take part in such trips because that is not part of their contract, but if every kid has to go, or must be given the opportunity to go, do you not think that there will be more pressure on teachers to go on such trips and that they will therefore want to be recompensed for that?

Is that above last year’s level?

It is not just an admin thing; it could involve tax revenues.