Education and Culture Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Official Report 251KB pdf

---

Subordinate Legislation

---

Individual Learning Account (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2012 (SSI 2012/172)

Agenda item 3 is consideration of a negative statutory instrument. No motion to annul has been lodged, and the Subordinate Legislation Committee determined that it did not need to draw the Parliament’s attention to the instrument. Do members have any comments to make?

Yes. I think that there is an issue. We have received quite a bit of representation from constituents on the removal of individual learning accounts from graduates, and we have some difficulty in supporting that. In particular, people who graduated some time ago have made contact. Perhaps a career change has been involved or there have been new requirements on them to do certain qualifications, and ILAs would assist them with that. A backward step is being taken.

What I want to say is probably related to that. The explanatory note that the officials have provided suggests that no impact assessment

“is necessary as the instrument has no financial effects on the Scottish Government, local government or on business.”

I understand what is said about the first two, but if ILAs are being more specifically targeted at particular areas I suspect that certain businesses or sectors may be impacted on either positively or negatively through people reskilling and going back into particular professions. That is not necessarily a reason for holding things up, but it would be helpful to know what, if any, assessment has been done on the likely impact on different sectors.

People have also commented on the new arrangements for people who are required to get new qualifications for childcare provision. ILAs have been used in that regard as well.

It would be great if we could continue to fund everything, but in the circumstances it is absolutely right to target ILAs at people who are low paid, low skilled or currently outwith the workforce.

The main point is that no motion to annul has been lodged. Does the committee agree to make no recommendation to the Parliament on the regulations?

No.

There is no motion to annul, so, effectively—

So unless we lodge a motion, we are agreed. Can we record our dissent?

There will be no formal vote, given that no motion to annul has been lodged, but I am happy for you to put your dissent on the record if you wish to do so.

I do. I record my dissent in the absence of a motion.

I do the same.

The regulations were made at the end of May, so I am a bit confused about why the issue should arise now rather than in the time that has been given.

I do not know the answer to that, but you are right: the regulations were laid before the Parliament on 31 May and members have had since then to ask questions or lodge a motion to annul, but that has not happened. Given the situation and the comments that Neil Findlay and Neil Bibby have made, I reiterate the question. Does the committee agree to make no recommendation to the Parliament on the regulations?

Members indicated agreement.

As the committee has agreed to take the next items in private, I close the meeting to the public.

11:21 Meeting continued in private until 11:40.