Plenary, 17 Sep 2009

Meeting date: Thursday, September 17, 2009

Official Report 751KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Europe, External Affairs and Culture

Good afternoon. Before we start, I would like to say how disappointed I am by the number of members who have not lodged questions after being successful in the ballot. That is obviously highly inconsiderate to other members, who have been deprived of the chance to ask a question. I hope that the party business managers will take back to their troops the message that this kind of thing really cannot be tolerated.

Question 1 has not been lodged.

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National Trust for Scotland (Bannockburn)

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the National Trust for Scotland regarding the future of the Bannockburn heritage centre. (S3O-7800)

It is broadly recognised by the National Trust for Scotland and by others that the visitor facilities at Bannockburn are in need of significant improvement. In 2008-09, the Government provided a grant of £150,000 to improve the educational facilities. That was spent mainly on a new educational video, which was launched recently. In 2009-10, a further £180,000 was made available to provide grants to school parties to visit Culloden, Bannockburn and, in due course, the Burns museum.

The year 2014 will be the 700th anniversary of the battle. I have asked my officials at Historic Scotland to work in partnership with the National Trust to develop appropriate proposals for improving visitor facilities in time for the anniversary and to explore how more synergy between Bannockburn and Stirling castle, which is in the care of Historic Scotland on behalf of Scottish ministers, can be achieved. Discussions between the two organisations about the nature and scope of such a project have commenced but are at a very early stage.

I am grateful to the minister for his response, which has largely pre-empted my supplementary question. I had been going to ask him whether he accepted that the Bannockburn centre requires upgrading, particularly when it is compared with the excellent centre that has been created at Culloden. Given that it will be the 700th anniversary of the battle in five years' time, now would be an appropriate time to consider launching a public appeal for funds.

I am also grateful to the minister for his commitment. Will the Scottish Government work with the NTS to establish whether an upgrade of the Bannockburn centre can be brought about so that we can all celebrate and commemorate the 700th anniversary appropriately, without, of course, straying into the field of narrow nationalism?

I was willing to welcome Murdo Fraser's words until he got to that last sentence. I was going to welcome his change of heart. At the weekend, he took extraordinary offence at the sight of children with wooden swords, presumably because he thought that they were threatening my friend Mr Brown, who was in the photograph as well, and denounced the whole concept of people visiting Bannockburn. Indeed, I thought that his idea of celebrating the 700th anniversary might be to build on the site or to put a wall around it.

The reality is that, like many sites in Scotland, Bannockburn is an enormously important site. Essentially, it is the cradle of the modern Scottish nation. In those circumstances, it is entirely appropriate for us to find ways to celebrate it. Improving the facilities is the first part of that. Now that Mr Fraser stands behind the project, nothing will be able to get in its way.

I always wondered whether the story of Bannockburn was told in schools in England, but that is for another day.

Given the overruns in delivery by the National Trust for Scotland, what timescales will be required to plan and deliver the upgrades at Culloden and the Burns centre? Will a similar timescale be needed to deliver a top-class redevelopment of the Bannockburn centre?

The member asks an extremely pertinent question. The timescale for the Culloden project was longer than would be possible for Bannockburn, but we are talking about a more modest project, which I anticipate will involve redevelopment rather than a complete rebuild.

We are at an early stage. We have more modest expectations, although we expect a development of the highest quality. We have time, but in the scheme of building attractions, five years is not a long time, so we will have to concentrate hard.

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Lighthouse (Glasgow)

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions are taking place with Glasgow City Council and the architecture and design professions regarding the future of the Lighthouse in Glasgow. (S3O-7879)

As the member knows, because he asked a similar question last week and is a former member of the board of the Lighthouse, the future of the Lighthouse Trust as a company is now unfortunately in the hands of the administrators.

My officials have commenced discussions with the administrators and Glasgow City Council to explore options for the Lighthouse, including its use as a national architecture centre, to build on the good work that has been done there. Wider discussions with the architecture and design professions will follow if we can find acceptable and financially viable proposals; I think that we can.

As well as being a former member of the board of the Lighthouse, I was chair of the 1999 festival of architecture and design, which saw the creation of the Lighthouse as a centre for architecture and design in a splendid Charles Rennie Mackintosh building that was formerly occupied by The Herald.

It is important to the city of Glasgow, its cultural heritage, its cultural attractions and the quality of the building that that building be put to good use. I would like the building to continue to be used—at least in part—as an architecture and design centre. It might also be possible for people to be given an opportunity to see some of the design artefacts that Glasgow City Council has in its possession but which are not currently viewable by the public on a regular basis, such as the Rennie Mackintosh tea rooms.

Is there an opportunity for the Government to work with Glasgow City Council and others to make something stronger and better out of the unfortunate collapse of the Lighthouse Trust?

Those are positive and sensible suggestions. I cannot commit myself to saying precisely what will take place. However, there is no doubt that this Government has been supportive of the type of work that was undertaken by the Lighthouse, and the potential exists to develop that work. For example, some of the things that were planned for the Lighthouse, such as the Gaudi exhibition in October, will go ahead within the existing space, which is very positive.

We can and should look at new potential for the building and project work that is based in the building. I am grateful to Mr McNulty for the way in which he asked his question and the positive approach that he is taking. That is the way in which we in this chamber should approach this matter.

I regret that, in August, the former chair of the Lighthouse, Janice Kirkpatrick, wrote a letter in which she said that the problem was not the Lighthouse but the Government, and that the political regime does not value architecture, design and the creative industries. That led to a rather strange spat in the newspapers, which included me and the former minister with responsibility for culture, Allan Wilson, swapping quotations from Ruskin. That was not a helpful way to solve the problem. The helpful way is to accept that expenditure has increased substantially over the past few years.

The issue is what happens next, which will depend on good ideas, such as those that have been raised by Mr McNulty, and a willingness to provide resource—which is there at present—to ensure that good things can happen within that space. We are committed to that. How we do that is now business that we have to work through with Glasgow City Council and the administrators.

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Scottish History and Culture (Libraries)

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that, to make an intelligent choice about our future as a nation, we should be knowledgeable about our history and culture and, if so, that libraries should play an important role in this. (S3O-7848)

Yes.

I like that answer and thank the minister for his brief reply. Will he encourage libraries to use a portion of their acquisition budgets to ensure that they carry a substantial selection of the many excellent works of poetry, fiction and non-fiction in English, Scots and Gaelic by Scottish authors?

I am always in favour of supporting Scottish authors, being one myself. The more resource that is used by Scottish libraries to purchase work from Scottish publishers and work that is written by people who write and work in Scotland—which is a slight difference in emphasis, but I am sure that the member will take it—the happier I will be.

One of the jobs that is being undertaken by the literature task force, which is ably chaired by Rosemary Goring, is to consider support for Scottish writing and publishing. The purchasing power of libraries is an important part of that resource. I am fully in favour of the member's suggestion.

I agree about the importance of libraries and the need to support Scottish writers and publishers. However, on our being more knowledgeable about our history and culture, does the minister accept that the Government that he represents often seems overobsessed with the shared history that we have with our nearest neighbour, England, often at the expense of the distinguished history that Scotland has in relation to the rest of the world?

I am tempted to say simply no, just to be consistent with my earlier answer. However, given that I have a moment or two in which to answer the question, I will do so more fully.

I do not think that what Mr Brocklebank says is true at all. I think that he is looking extremely narrowly at what this Government says and does. In actuality, we have a broad view of how Scotland should be presented and interpreted by children in schools and by a wider audience in Scotland.

We need to ensure that, in our publishing industry and the promotion of our national culture, we are also conscious of the international dimension.

Mr Brocklebank will be aware that the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill, which is before the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee, includes a definition of the purposes of creative Scotland, on which I worked hard with my officials and which sets the organisation firmly in the context of national and international culture. I use the analogy that we are all rooted in the cultures of our country—I use the word "cultures" deliberately, because there are many of them—and that is the place in which we stand. However, if we raise our eyes, we see the whole world, and that also influences us.

I do not think that, in raising my eyes, I simply see south of the border, as pleasant as that prospect may be. I see the whole world, and I think that everyone else does too.

Question 5 has not been lodged.

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Cultural Events (Carbon Emissions)

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution has had with the organisers of major cultural events regarding the need to reduce carbon emissions in organising such events. (S3O-7853)

I was very much struck during this year's Edinburgh festivals by the number of conversations that I had with others—festival directors, members of festival staff and those on the boards of festivals—on the specific issue of how the festivals would focus and adapt in a time of climate change.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 places duties on public bodies—including those that are responsible for organising major cultural events—that relate to climate change. The City of Edinburgh Council's sustainable development unit, for example, is working with the Edinburgh festivals to minimise their impact on the environment.

There is an enormous opportunity, as I am sure the member accepts, for the festivals to be exemplars of good practice and to ensure that they are moving forward their response to climate change. I am very impressed with the management of festivals in Edinburgh in particular, as well as more widely throughout Scotland, and I know that all festivals will focus on the issue.

I thank the minister for his reply, and I agree that there is a huge opportunity. I ask him to consider that the Scottish Government is well placed to lead on the issue, partly through funding, which he has talked about previously, and partly through the leadership that potentially arises from the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Will he consider producing best-practice guidance to help those organisations raise their game and do the easy things, such as looking at energy-efficient buildings, ticketing initiatives to promote public transport access and ways to reduce waste?

The minister will be aware that organisations such as the fringe in Edinburgh and some of the other festivals are beginning to focus on what they can do. Will he consider pulling together guidelines and formal discussions to bring together the best work that local authorities, arts and music organisations, community groups and public transport bodies are doing? That will mean that we will get the best ideas and experience and put them to good use, and it will ensure that people do not have to reinvent the wheel every time a festival is organised.

Fortunately, that is already happening in Edinburgh, and the experience in the city can apply elsewhere.

There is a Festivals Edinburgh environmental working group on which all the festivals are represented, and there is an Edinburgh festivals environmental policy. As the member will know, the policy commits the festivals to complying with the requirements of environmental legislation and codes of practice; assessing the environmental impact of current and likely future operations; seeking continuously to improve environmental performance; reducing impacts from pollution, emissions and waste; encouraging more sustainable forms of transport; ensuring that they sustainably manage procurement and the use of all resources, energy and water; and ensuring that they raise awareness, encourage participation and train employees. The policy also gives the festivals a responsibility to expect similar environmental standards from all their suppliers and contractors; and—crucially—it places a duty on them to assist performers and festival-goers to participate in the festivals in an environmentally sensitive way.

All those things are in place in Edinburgh. The challenge now is to take that good practice and spread it more widely throughout Scotland. I am very keen to find ways to do so. I take the member's point, on which I will ask my officials to bring forward proposals.

Questions 7 and 8 have not been lodged; question 9 has had to be withdrawn for urgent family reasons; and question 10 has been withdrawn.

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Education and Lifelong Learning

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School Meals

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned about the uptake of school meals. (S3O-7881)

No. Despite the introduction of strict nutritional requirements for school meals, uptake of school meals has dropped only slightly, from 45 per cent in 2008 to 44 per cent in 2009.

Of those pupils registered for free school lunches, 82.2 per cent took a free school lunch in 2009, which is down by just 0.5 per cent from the previous year.

I thank the minister for his answer, which demonstrates how statistics can say different things. The minister might be aware that the percentage of secondary school pupils in Dumfries and Galloway who take school meals fell from 63 per cent in 2000 to 31 per cent in 2008. Officers in the council's catering service are concerned that full compliance with the Scottish Government's nutritional standards, which were introduced to secondary schools in August, will have a significant adverse impact on uptake and income.

Given that most secondary schools are within walking distance of alternative food outlets, does the minister agree that instructions, for example, to keep condiments such as salad dressings out of sight of pupils so that they have to be requested are somewhat draconian and will deter rather than encourage the uptake of healthy school meals?

Uptake of school meals has consistently been in decline since 2003, as Elaine Murray pointed out. It is therefore unfair to lay the blame for a decrease in uptake in the past year solely on the introduction of the nutritional requirements. However, I am confident that the extension of eligibility for free school lunches will have a positive impact on uptake, as will the advent of the curriculum for excellence, under which more children and young people will learn about the importance of healthy eating.

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Probationary Teachers

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that teachers who have successfully completed their probationary year are able to secure teaching posts in Scottish schools. (S3O-7866)

The employment of teachers is a matter for local authorities. The Scottish Government is providing local government with a record level of funding—£23 billion—for the period 2008 to 2010. We are taking forward the 12 recommendations of the teacher employment working group, which reported last October, and we have also taken steps to rebalance teacher supply and demand by reducing by 500 places the proposed intake for initial teacher education courses this year.

I am slightly disappointed by that answer. What would the cabinet secretary say to the constituent who wrote to me? They told me that, having successfully completed their probationary year in East Ayrshire, they were unable to secure a full-time post and applied to do supply work, but have now been told by South Ayrshire Council that they will not be included on the council's supply list even though they applied for that in time.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that it is a shocking waste of talent to have people who have been through teacher training colleges and completed their probationary years in such situations? They should be in the classroom, not on the dole.

Not all teachers will be able to achieve employment status from day one of the school year. On East Ayrshire Council in particular, the information that was given to ministers during our visit there during the summer is that, in 2009-10, the council is making available resources to return primary teacher numbers to 2007 levels—that is, another 24 full-time equivalents—in order to reduce class sizes. On top of that, it has a teacher refresh programme to create 66 vacancies above natural turnover.

The issue of South Ayrshire Council's supply lists is a matter for the council. I would expect it and other local authorities to agree and comply with the recommendations of the teacher employment working group. In establishing that group, we moved swiftly to pull together the relevant groups such as the unions, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and local authorities to ensure that we improve the system that we inherited and better match supply and demand.

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City of Edinburgh Council (Education)

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the City of Edinburgh Council regarding education. (S3O-7790)

I last met the City of Edinburgh Council on 26 May 2009 as part of a series of meetings with all local authorities to discuss matters relating to education. My officials regularly have discussions with local authorities on a range of issues that are relevant to my portfolio.

The Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrat council wants to close four primary schools. What impact would that have on the cabinet secretary's class size targets?

The City of Edinburgh Council, like all the other councils in Scotland, is part and parcel of our new relationship with local government as evidenced by the concordat with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Within that, there is a drive throughout the country to reduce class sizes. As the First Minister said earlier today, class sizes are at record lows.

School closures are quite clearly a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council, and I point out that the chamber recently supported and voted for the principles of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Bill, which seeks to ensure that local authorities retain the power to close schools. I also believe that, from 1997 to 2007, there was a 19 per cent fall in the school rolls in Edinburgh. How that situation is managed is up to the council.

I point out to the cabinet secretary that rolls will increase by 20 per cent in the next 10 years.

Is the cabinet secretary concerned that her SNP colleagues in the City of Edinburgh Council administration are openly disregarding her pledge to have class sizes of 18 in primaries 1 to 3 in their proposals for school reorganisation, which will include Fort primary school and Royston primary school in my constituency? Does she agree that the only way of making those poor proposals semi-plausible is to have P1 to P3 classes of more than 30 pupils? Will she take the matter up with her colleagues in the council administration?

I appreciate that Gavin Brown, Malcolm Chisholm and, I am sure, other members want to express their views about what should happen to schools in their constituency. However, I hope that Mr Chisholm will reflect on the fact that because of my relationship with local government I cannot interfere with individual school closures and most certainly not in the proposals that have been set out. The points that have been raised can be—and, indeed, are being—well made by parents and others who are either pursuing reductions in class sizes or defending their local schools. However, as I say, I cannot take up individual cases. The alternative would be to centralise education and put it completely under the Government's control. If we respect the local authorities' ability to take such decisions, we must give them the space and the time to do so. Given the responsibility that has been put on the City of Edinburgh Council, it should be making efforts to reduce class sizes. As I understand it, it wants to concentrate on areas of deprivation where, as we know, having smaller class sizes gives schools the space and time to raise standards of literacy and numeracy in those who will benefit most.

Given the concern that the City of Edinburgh Council has voiced about whether reductions in class sizes can be afforded, will the cabinet secretary legislate to reduce class sizes to 18 in P1 to P3—yes or no?

We have agreed with local government that it will make year-on-year progress to reduce class sizes and, as councils have acknowledged, we have provided funding to maintain teacher numbers at 2007 levels. During this time of recession, the numbers of retiring teachers quite clearly do not match the numbers of teachers who are coming through the teacher training system. That is why, in response to Cathy Jamieson, I made it clear that we have taken steps to reduce the numbers coming through teacher training colleges.

On the question whether we will legislate, I point out to Rhona Brankin that, at First Minister's question time, the First Minister said that we are actively considering legislation—it might take the form of regulations or even primary legislation. In any case, we are also considering measures to ensure that we defend the previous Administration's aim of reducing class sizes to 25, which, I should point out, was neither legislated for nor achieved.

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Individual Education Budgets

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to proposals to give parents control over their children's individual education budgets from local education authorities. (S3O-7832)

As existing funding systems already ensure that funding follows pupils and as many placing requests are granted, there is no need for vouchers, which would add only an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. Driving up standards is a key priority for this Government and we are in the process of implementing curriculum for excellence, the biggest reform of education in Scotland for a generation.

Does the minister share my concern that the proposals would increase polarisation in our school system and does he agree that there is no place for Tory-inspired market fundamentalism in the education of Scotland's children?

Under the current law, there is choice in the system. Although I believe that that is extremely important, I do not agree that having an internal market would benefit the education system. I should also point out that more than 95 per cent of children attend their local school out of choice, and there is no evidence that parents want the voucher system that has been suggested. Interestingly, if in the very unlikely event that a system along the lines of the Swedish model were to be progressed, the current system in independent schools would mean that they would have to dramatically reduce their own income. I am not sure that that part of the proposal has been thought through.

The member is right to say that such a move would lead to polarisation and make it extremely difficult to manage schools. I was visiting a West Lothian school on the very night that the proposal hit the media and I was told that it would drive a wedge into communities and make it difficult to sustain the link between local schools and communities. I do not believe that the system is good and think it extremely unlikely that it will ever come to pass.

Does the minister reject the fundamental evidence from Sweden that pupil attainment has gone up by a considerable amount simply because parents have a great deal of choice over where their children are educated?

The Swedish have a right to the system that they think best suits them. Of course, in Sweden, the system has its critics, who think that it leads to further inequality. We are content that the way in which we will drive up standards and make our schools more attractive is through the implementation of the curriculum for excellence, which will improve teaching and learning in our schools. That is our system. It has the broad support of teachers and the education community, and we intend to continue to support it.

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Modern Apprenticeships

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on delivering 7,800 extra modern apprenticeships. (S3O-7883)

Skills Development Scotland has issued contracts covering the additional places and, as a result, the additional apprenticeship opportunities are now available.

I want to mention the important role of training groups in apprenticeship training. I wrote to the cabinet secretary earlier this year regarding the Angus Training Group, which would normally be training 60 or 70 apprentices at this time of year, but which has taken on only 10 because of a lack of employer engagement. Another such organisation is EDETA—the Edinburgh and District Employers Training Association. Such organisations play a valuable role in bringing employers together and they provide capacity for future apprenticeship training. Will the cabinet secretary arrange for officials, either from her department or from Skills Development Scotland, to meet those training groups, of which there are seven in Scotland?

The strength of the modern apprenticeship scheme in Scotland is that it has employed status, which means that, although we provide funding and resources to support the skills and training aspects of the apprenticeships, the employers must offer jobs. At present, that is challenging, particularly in some sectors. The member is right to identify that many organisations and training providers face challenges and that they need to retain capacity for when the engineering, manufacturing and other markets pick up. I am happy to agree to the member's request to have officials meet those organisations. I hope that he has received a reply to the well-made points in the letter that he sent me.

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Further Education (Child Care)

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the provision and cost of child care for students in further education. (S3O-7796)

Yes. Eligible students who are undertaking courses of further education can apply to their institution's further education child care funds for assistance with the costs of child care with registered providers. The funds are additional to fee waivers and any bursary support. Each student can apply for up to £3,500. The funds are administered on a discretionary basis by the institutions, as they are best placed to assess and discuss personal and local needs. The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council investment in further education bursaries, child care and discretionary funding was increased by £2.7 million in the academic year 2008-09 to £69.9 million, which was an increase of 3.8 per cent. In the academic year 2009-10, the figure has risen to a record £79 million, which represents a further 9.3 per cent increase.

I thank the minister for explaining the postcode lottery for students who receive child care support. The Scottish Conservatives responded to the Government's consultation on student support stating that more resources should be allocated to child care. What is she doing to respond to that submission? What is she doing to tackle the fact that further education colleges take a range of approaches to funding child care, which results in some students paying all the fees up front all year and hoping and praying that they might get some money refunded, whereas other colleges accept full financial responsibility for child care at the start of term?

Colleges were supportive of the Government's swift moves to address some of the pressures in year. I point out to Mary Scanlon that Inverness College did not request any additional allocation of funding to support child care during the past year, although many other colleges did so and had allocations provided. However, she makes a good point about stability and planning for people in further education, particularly older women with children. The issue of independent students with caring responsibilities is a key one to address. Following our consultation response and when preparing our proposals to Parliament, I will be able to discuss with all parties in the chamber what child care support we might want to provide in future. Mary Scanlon's view and all representations made to us as part of the consultation will be taken on board and considered as part of our response.

Will the cabinet secretary outline the new monitoring and surveillance measures that the Government will introduce to ensure that in future we do not see a repeat of last year, when child care funds were exhausted at numerous institutions throughout the country? Does she agree that there is increasing demand for a fundamental look at how child care funds for students are distributed so that student parents can be confident that they will receive the right financial support and provision?

As the member might be aware, there are pros and cons to having a decentralised or centralised system of support for child care. As we have seen at Motherwell College, quite frequently a localised response can provide a better service for many parents. The member's implied question is, how do we prevent the situation that arose during this year from recurring? The issue is whether we responded quickly during the year when we needed to. The former acting chief executive of the Association of Scotland's Colleges said at the time:

"The sector and the SFC worked together to identify resource requirements and re-allocated funds to address those needs … This entire process was concluded in a 3 week period—a superb example of how in Scotland we can achieve so much when we pull together."

The member says that we need a responsive system and that monitoring must be acute—the monitoring was indeed acute. As the Association of Scotland's Colleges' response indicated, we managed to respond within three weeks and £10 million of additional resource was put into the system to support child care. That is an example of where the Scottish Government can and did respond to support the child care needs of students throughout Scotland this year.

Question 7 has been withdrawn.

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Secondary School Buildings (Aberdeenshire)

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide a mechanism to facilitate the funding of replacement buildings for the secondary schools at Laurencekirk and Kemnay in the Aberdeenshire Council area. (S3O-7794)

As Alex Johnstone will know, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning announced in June £800 million of additional capital support for a £1.25 billion new school building programme, which follows on from the current £2 billion of school investment already being supported by the Government. The cabinet secretary made it clear in Parliament in June that the Scottish Futures Trust will have a central role in co-ordinating, facilitating and managing the new programme, working alongside the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and local authorities. We are now engaging with COSLA, councils and the Scottish Futures Trust to identify the first tranche of secondary schools to benefit, taking into account the distribution of needs across Scotland; the best available information about schools' condition and unsuitability to deliver the curriculum for excellence; additionality; and authorities' plans, priorities and readiness to proceed.

Is the minister aware that the distribution of needs in Aberdeenshire alone is now such that demands for the construction of new secondary schools will overwhelm any resource that is likely to be allocated from the funds that he mentioned? Is he further aware that his Government's ideological opposition to public-private partnerships will ensure that many children in the Aberdeenshire Council area will not have the school facilities that they expect or require for their secondary education? Will he and his Government reconsider their ideological opposition and deliver the opportunity for local authorities to provide the buildings that they wish to?

The current condition of schools in Aberdeenshire has been the firm responsibility of the council over many years and is a result of how it has gone about making capital investment in its school estate. It is true to say that the additional moneys that have to be found every year to service the debt inherited from previous private finance initiatives and PPP projects constrains our ability to find new investment for schools. Despite that Aberdeenshire, like every other council, will look to benefit from the new tranche of available funding. It will be considered by COSLA, the Scottish Futures Trust and the cabinet secretary, who will make her announcements in due course. At that time, we will consider how we can best bring the worst schools—they are unevenly distributed throughout Scotland—out of their current situation so that they are more suited to teaching the curriculum for excellence.

It is certainly the case that debt inherited from PPP projects is one of the major constraints that we face.

I would not like the minister to go away with the wrong impression that only two schools in my constituency need to be replaced, as Alex Johnstone suggested. He forgot about his old school, Mackie academy at Stonehaven, as well as Alford, Inverurie and Ellon academies. Six academies throughout Aberdeenshire need to be completely replaced, four of which are on my patch. Will the minister tell either Alex Johnstone or me whether any of the six schools are likely to access funds from the Scottish Futures Trust as part of the tranche that he mentioned?

I am surprised that, after eight years of nirvana under the two previous Governments, we have a situation in Aberdeenshire as bad as that which Mike Rumbles describes. I cannot say what the outcome of the process that I described will be. I repeat that decisions will be made taking into account the distribution of needs nationally; the best available information about schools' condition; the core facts in school estate management plans and other intelligence; the best information on schools' unsuitability to deliver; and additionality. Schools that are not already part of a funded programme will be prioritised. Of course, we will also have regard to authorities' own priorities in this process.

Is the minister aware of comments from the chief executive of the Scottish Futures Trust in The Scotsman today, in which he said that it will be a few years before the trust is fully up and running? Will any brick be laid in any secondary school in Scotland before the next election?

We already have a substantial building programme. [Interruption.]

Order.

I think that we expect to have proceeded with more than 300 schools, which exceeds the number of schools that were commissioned under the previous two Administrations, which is a very good basis on which to start.

The Scottish Futures Trust will allow us to bring new efficiencies to the programme. We have a part to play in ensuring that moneys are allocated according to the priorities that I have just mentioned. At that stage, it will be for schools and authorities to take things forward as quickly as possible.

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Bologna Process

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to offer a social or community year along European lines to young people between school and higher education, in order to enhance social responsibility and illustrate career possibilities, and to offer educational credits for the first year in higher education in accordance with the provisions of the Bologna process. (S3O-7831)

At present, the Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a social or community year to young people between school and higher education. However, we are closely engaged with the Bologna process and will ensure that any educational developments are consistent with the principles underpinning the emerging European higher education area.

In the upcoming years, Westminster budget cuts, the economic downturn and the composition of Scottish society will increase demand for community work volunteers. Is the Scottish Government prepared to consider a programme that would address that increased need for community work while giving young people an opportunity to contribute to Scottish society and their own education at the same time? A variety of community programmes are running in other European countries, such as Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy, and they might provide impulses, through exchange programmes, for a Scottish scheme.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting young people to achieve their potential through recognised awards for volunteering. Youth achievement awards and awards scheme development and accreditation network certificates are both levelled against the Scottish credit and qualifications framework, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme is also well recognised. The Government supports Youth Scotland in its work to develop and promote those awards in Scotland in line with national outcome 4, the curriculum for excellence and the four capacities.

Through supporting organisations such as Youth Scotland, Volunteer Development Scotland and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, the Scottish Government is committed to building capacity in the voluntary youth sector to enable all Scotland's young people to take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

Given the member's interest, it is worth mentioning that at a recent conference on the Bologna process, Scotland was the only one of the 46 countries to achieve full marks in all the action lines under the Bologna process. That shows some of the progress that we are making.

I have some sympathy with the view expressed by Professor Harvie about encouraging volunteering. In light of that, will the Scottish Government reconsider its decision to cut funding for Project Scotland, a very valuable programme that encouraged lots of young people to engage in exactly the sort of activities to which Professor Harvie referred?

That decision was made some time ago. We are content with the distribution of resources to the projects and initiatives that are currently taking place. We have no intention of revisiting the decision.

I suspend the meeting until 5 to 3.

Meeting suspended.

On resuming—