Education (Provision of Information to Schools) (Scotland) Revocation Regulations 2012 (SSI 2012/129)
Education (Schools and Placing Information) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (SSI 2012/130)
Agenda item two is consideration of two negative statutory instruments. No motions to annul have been lodged in respect of either of the instruments. The Subordinate Legislation Committee has drawn SSI 2012/130 to the attention of the Parliament on the ground that the meaning of regulation 17(3)(a) could be clearer.
I understand the need for this subordinate legislation, but it is fairly complex and it is quite difficult to dig through to find out why some of the information is felt to be necessary and why there is not a bit more scope for schools—or local authorities in some cases—to use their initiative in that regard. I am not sure that we are terribly clear on that.
We have time to e-mail the Government and get some answers if there is something specific that you want to find out.
I understand the need for the subordinate legislation—accountability is obviously paramount. However, having spent ages reading through it, some areas seemed incredibly complex. Also, I was not entirely convinced that some of the information was needed at a national level. Other bits were perhaps of more relevance to a local authority or an individual school.
Do you see any requirement for us to delay the SSIs until next week or should we ask the Government questions, but let the SSIs go through?
It is unnecessary to delay the SSIs. This issue comes up fairly frequently, because different types of information come in. I suspect that with the oncoming of the curriculum for excellence at different stages and particularly the new Scottish Qualifications Authority exams, we will need to review the issue in the not-too-distant future. It would be helpful if the committee could review just what information is helpful and what information is not at some stage—it would tie in with what some of the witnesses were saying earlier.
That is helpful. In the first instance, I can write on behalf of the committee to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell.
If the cabinet secretary is coming to a committee meeting anyway, he could answer my questions then.
The cabinet secretary is coming to a committee meeting at the end of June, but I will write in advance to say that this issue is of interest to the committee. If there is any information that he can provide about the whys and wherefores of, for example, this subordinate legislation, he can do so in writing in advance of the meeting, but we may want to ask him some questions about it when he appears before us.
Thank you.
If there are no other comments, does the committee agree to make no recommendation to the Parliament on SSI 2012/129?
Does the committee agree to make no recommendation to the Parliament on SSI 2012/130?
The committee has agreed to hold the next agenda item in private.
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