Education and Culture Committee
Meeting date: Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Official Report
533KB pdf
Subordinate Legislation
Fundable Bodies (Scotland) Order 2012 [Draft]
The third item on our agenda is to take evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning on a draft Scottish statutory instrument. Members will have an opportunity to ask technical questions about or seek clarification on the draft order and they will then be invited to consider the motion to approve it.
Mike Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, has stayed with us and I welcome to the meeting George Reid from the colleges and adult learning division at the Scottish Government and Ailsa Heine from the Scottish Government legal directorate. I invite the cabinet secretary to make a brief opening statement.
Thank you, convener. I am grateful for the opportunity to make some opening remarks, which I do not think need detain us for too long.
Because the draft order is subject to the affirmative resolution procedure, it is required to be moved by the Government and debated by the committee. The changes that it seeks to make are entirely technical. They include a number of changes to the list of what are known as fundable bodies, which are set out in the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 and are the bodies that the Scottish funding council is allowed to fund. I am happy to outline each of the changes if the committee would find that helpful, but I think that they are self-explanatory and wholly uncontroversial. They simply give effect to changes that have already taken place or will have taken place by the date on which the order comes into force, and they will ensure that the funding council can continue to provide funding to the institutions concerned.
I hope that those brief remarks have been helpful. I am happy to answer members’ questions.
As members have no questions or points to raise, we move on to the formal consideration of the motion to approve the order.
Motion moved,
That the Education and Culture Committee recommends that the Fundable Bodies (Scotland) Order 2012 [draft] be approved.—[Michael Russell.]
It appears that members have no comments—and I take it, cabinet secretary, that you do not wish to wind up.
I am tempted, convener, but no.
Motion agreed to.
The committee’s report to Parliament on the order will confirm the outcome of the debate. I thank the cabinet secretary and his officials for their attendance.
Before I close the meeting, I wish all members, the cabinet secretary and officials a very enjoyable recess.
Meeting closed at 12:47.