Chamber and committees

Thank you. I appreciate that. I will move on to Liz Green, to ask some questions about youth work.

The big question for us is: what has the impact been of the Turing scheme requiring youth work organisations to partner with other organisations in order to access support?

The inclusion fund that you mentioned earlier would be key to that.

You have highlighted a number of areas in which you think the Turing scheme is left wanting and on which you think the Scottish Government should maybe move. If the system were to be developed in Scotland, what would the key aspects be, and what would be critical to making it work for your sector?

Would that fund be for people from underrepresented groups to use, or would it be used to meet some of the hidden costs? We have heard evidence from Colleges Scotland and others about the hidden costs of the scheme, such as double funding for staff to go over two different periods. Would that be part of the inclusion fund, or is that separate?

Susana, when did the Scottish Government last reach out to you?

The EIS has said that the stated cuts

“will make it more difficult for college lecturers to get a pay rise commensurate with that of their colleagues elsewhere in the public sector”.

How do you respond to that?

I do not think anything could be more real than 100 people in Glasgow, or 1,500 people across the country, possibly losing their jobs. Those are the figures according to correspondence that has been sent to the committee.

I have only been in this role for a short time, but there does not seem to be much direction for colleges or universities from the Government about its expectations. Can you set out when the Government will indicate its expectations to the Scottish Funding Council? Can you also set out your fair work expectations for colleges and universities?

That is considerably regrettable. The Government has had 16 years to sort stuff like that out and we are in the situation that we are in. It will not be an acceptable answer to people who might lose their jobs.

My final question is short. How would you describe industrial relations in the sector, minister?

In the higher and further education sector.

Thank you. That brings me on nicely to what I was going to ask about.

On the issue of college boards, is it the Government’s intention to issue the good governance guidance at any point soon, and what is your view of having unions represented on boards?