Chamber and committees

The cabinet secretary spoke about the time, and members should also be mindful of that. Two other members have questions.

Thank you very much for those responses. We move to questions from committee members, and I invite Mr Golden to begin the questioning.

We have a few more minutes, so it is fine if you want to ask it.

I invite Dr Allan to ask his questions.

That is great.

I thank both the witnesses for attending the committee. It has been immensely helpful. I also thank them for their submissions, which were helpful.

I suspend the meeting until 10.15 am, when we will resume for our session with the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture.

10:15 On resuming—  

Good morning. I wish everyone a very warm welcome to the fourth meeting in 2022 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. Our first agenda item is a decision on whether to take business in private. Do members agree to take item 4 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

That is absolutely fine—thank you.

I have a question for Professor Nolan. Again, from my previous experience, I know that we very much valued the Erasmus programme in Scotland, and many witnesses have lamented its loss. Will you expand a little on what your aims are for an ideal new mobility scheme? Will you give a little insight into what funding and back-up the scheme might require?

I actually have a couple of final questions, the first of which is for Professor Nolan. You touched on the idea that what the Turing scheme is missing is inward mobility and an exchange programme with students, which I think of as the other side of the same coin. Will you comment on what you would like to see in the future and explain why it is so important that there is a two-way street and an opportunity to exchange in both directions, for students, lecturers and other researchers?

That concludes consideration of this agenda item. I thank the cabinet secretary and remind him that we are not expecting him at the committee next week, which I am sure he will be relieved about. I thank him and his officials for their evidence.

The committee will now consider its work programme in private.

Mr Hampson, I think that you wanted to respond to my first question about how many local authorities are involved in the schools exchange programme.