Chamber and committees

It is doing the opposite. It is asking what the budget is across all Government departments. What do you say to Audit Scotland criticising the Government on the lack of clarity on what investment is needed across all departments? It makes the point that departments are working in silos—that is its criticism. When Audit Scotland says that there is a lack of clarity on the level of investment that is needed to deliver NSET, is it wrong?

A key aim was to improve productivity compared with international competitors—

That was a key aim of your strategy, so why has that not happened?

I am just quoting Audit Scotland. The report says:

“With the current financial challenges, an understanding of cost and affordability will help the Scottish Government to prioritise spending decisions and is critical for transparency, scrutiny and accountability.”

Audit Scotland is the one calling for more clarity on the level of investment needed. I am just asking whether you think that it is wrong when it says that?

It is a matter of record that I have asked for clarity on the level of investment across all Government departments and not for one line. However, I think that it is clear, as Audit Scotland has highlighted, that the Government does not know how much investment is needed to deliver the NSET, so I will leave it at that.

Anne-Marie, you also said that it is not joined up effectively. How do we join it up? You said that it needs to be personalised to the individual. How do we change policy so that we are not working in silos and we are bringing people together to make sure that it is personalised? What is missing at the moment to make it personalised?

That is a very interesting point, because when we had a group of young people up from The Usual Place in Dumfries, one of the staff made the point that the organisation often slips through the gaps in funding because it is not education and it is not employment, but it bridges the two. Every time it applies for funding, it is told, “Sorry, that is education,” or, “Sorry, that is employment.” I am just trying to work out what is the barrier. It sounds like it is about silo working, but is it because we do not put in place the bridge? We are not funding the bridge; we are funding the two things separately. Is that a fair reflection?

I am just trying to work out why that support is so important for those young people. You said that there is a network of support already there, but it is not functioning correctly. Is the support there and the issue is the way it works, or is the support not there? I am trying to work out what the gap is and why that support is so important for those young people.

Tracey, why do you think that it makes such a difference?

That is very helpful. You were nodding vigorously, Charlie, so I will bring you in.