Chamber and committees

Have all colleges that have put such schemes in place sought that approval?

May I come in?

The Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans said that the outcome agreement “includes ... requirements” on colleges to get

“approvals for voluntary severance schemes”

from the SFC. Is that the case?

Have you noticed any impact on widening access and on the experience of students from the poorest backgrounds?

I want to ask specifically about the student support budget, if that is okay. It looks as though that has dropped by about £12 million, and the justification for that from the Scottish Funding Council is that demand has dropped and that

“the allocation for each college will cover at least what was spent last year”.

Is that the experience of your members, David Belsey? Is that what they are telling you? Do students need less support now?

No—it was very helpful. We could find out more about the issue that you have just highlighted from the Government.

The post-1992 universities are particularly well known for their work on widening access. In your submission, however, you say that the budget concerns could put that at risk. The Government has said that that will not happen, but its own equality impact assessment says that it could, so there is quite a bit of confusion in that respect. What is your position on the issue?

The cabinet secretary recently said that, in responding to the necessity for reform and the opportunities that it creates, the Government must minimise the impact on front-line allocations for learning and teaching, and for support for students. What impact has the recent budget settlement had on learning, teaching and support?

One of the things that came across in the submissions to the committee was the reduction in students enrolling for higher, national 5 and national 4 qualifications, higher national certificates and Scottish vocational qualifications. Do you know why that is, and what does that tell us about the impact on learning and teaching?

We have a small technical issue.

[Inaudible.]—the mic?