Chamber and committees

My final area of questioning is twofold. First, you mentioned the importance of assessing the impact on communities of any changes to infrastructure, and my question on that is: to your knowledge, have there been any such impact assessments?

Related to that, one of the other kind of high-falutin’ duties that exists—it is referenced in endnote 5 of the report—is the equality and fairer Scotland duty. A statement was published on the Government website about how that duty applies to infrastructure investment. Is there any evidence of equality and fairer Scotland duty assessments being undertaken with regard to infrastructure projects?

So, my questions are about community and the equality and fairer Scotland duty.

I said that we were in the final approach, but I have an indication from Willie Coffey that he wants to ask a question, so I will bring him back in.

There are two quick final questions from me, one of which is about not something that is in the briefing especially, but a recurring theme in previous briefings and reports, including the section 22 report on South Lanarkshire College. It is about the regional board structure and whether that represents a sensible part of the whole governance landscape or is, frankly, surplus to requirements. Do you have any reflections on that question?

Thank you. We will conclude the evidence session on that note of sharp realism.

Auditor General, I thank you and your team—Mark MacPherson, Tricia Meldrum and Douglas Black—for the evidence that you have given to us this morning. As I have said, it will be for the committee to consider what its next steps are, but the briefing has been an extremely valuable brief insight into the state of finances in Scotland’s colleges especially. I thank you for that.

I will now move the committee into private session.

Thank you very much. On a similar theme, and to develop some of those points, Graham Simpson has some questions to put to you.

Sharon Dowey has a supplementary question on this area.

Before we leave the Ayrshire College doomsday scenario, if it is talking in its pessimistic projection about a potential 70 per cent reduction in staffing over five years and it operates, as I understand it, on three campuses—Kilwinning, Kilmarnock and Ayr—would that suggest that it would just consolidate on one campus?

Okay—thank you. We have mentioned the college estate a few times. Colin Beattie has some questions on that.

In stark terms, is insolvency a risk for any of the colleges in Scotland?

I am looking at exhibit 2, which is an illustration of significant areas of risk for colleges. One thing that is not mentioned in exhibit 2, which a couple of people who work in the sector have mentioned to me, is European social fund money. As I understand it, there are some potential risks to do with the application of European social fund money, which might go back as far as the funding period 2011 to 2014, which I do not think has yet been signed off or audited by the European Commission. It has certainly been pointed out to me that that is a potential risk that is not stated in the report. Do you have a view on that?