Subordinate Legislation Committee, 12 Sep 2000
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 12, 2000
Official Report
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Education and Training (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (SSI 2000/292)
Questions were raised about these regulations, which have not been satisfactorily addressed. Does any member want to comment on this instrument?
One important point has arisen, which I hope can be drawn to the specific attention of the lead committee, the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee. Regulation 7(3) gives general powers under the statutory instrument for Scottish ministers to
"pay to learning account holders an additional grant in respect of any travel, accommodation or other costs".
The provenance of that paragraph was a concession that a minister made to a member—me—in a stage 3 debate, that that power would be included in the statutory instrument. I welcomed that concession at the time. It now appears that that concession may not be enforceable. We learned this morning that the department "regrets the error" and will take steps to correct it "as soon as practicable".
Given that this is an issue of considerable substantive concern, and that a concession was made in a stage 3 debate, the meaning of "as soon as practicable" and whether the correction will be made this year or next are matters of legitimate concern to the lead committee. As I understood it, the concession would be a power to pay for travel and grants for people in the Highlands and rural parts of Scotland this year, from the beginning, not from the end of year one.
I welcome the fact that the Executive has put its hand up and promised to sort the matter out. However, the serious question is whether people in remote parts of Scotland will benefit this year, or whether they will not receive the additional grants, which Parliament wanted them to receive this year, from the beginning.
We can proceed in that way.