Official Report 223KB pdf
The next item on the agenda is an update on committee business. Do we have an update on progress in obtaining young people as witnesses?
We do not think that it would be possible to get further witnesses for the meeting on 8 November. There is a reasonable possibility of getting up to four students who have sat higher national certificates and higher national diplomas at Scottish colleges, and who may have had difficulties with the SQA, for the meeting on 15 November. The committee was also interested in hearing from young people who are moving into work, but we have had great difficulty identifying anyone in that category and, frankly, we have been unable to do so.
Are members happy to proceed with that final session of evidence?
The evidence of the young people is very useful, but it would also be useful to hear the experiences of people who worked with the young people, as we did in the case of the school students. Although their experience is important, we should also hear the voice that can say why things happened and why it is important. Perhaps the Association of Scottish Colleges would be able to provide a witness, such as a college principal.
There is a chance that we will be able to get a college principal. We are trying to identify young people through the Association of Scottish Colleges.
Is a college principal close enough to the ground?
It depends who the principal is.
I would be concerned if we could not access young people who are in the job market at the moment. They are drawing up their curriculum vitae, waiting for information and so on. There must be something dreadfully wrong with our structure if we cannot get hold of young people or people who are advising them in the job market.
We are trying to contact young people through the Employment Service, the Confederation of British Industry and the Association of Scottish Colleges, but we are not very optimistic at this stage.
Have you tried the Careers Service?
Yes.
I would have thought that the Careers Service, or a school or group of schools, could identify people who have left but are still looking for work. Why do we not try South Lanarkshire Council again or individual schools, which have been helpful before?
The clerks should continue to try to find young people, as it would be useful to have their evidence.
We should contact City of Edinburgh schools because, if we want people to come to the committee at relatively short notice, and given that Edinburgh is a large urban area, we might have some luck with former pupils who would find it easier to come to us. When we spoke to pupils from South Lanarkshire, we did so in Hamilton.
We should spend 10 minutes on those questions, then decide how to proceed. I think that we need to do that in private. Before we go into private session, are there any issues that members wish to raise?
Yes. I ask the clerks to inquire—not as a priority—whether the City of Edinburgh Council has made any progress in organising a meeting of those who are interested in the Cramond site. Perhaps we could be proactive, before Mr Guild asks what is happening.
You mean you do not realise that he makes contact continually to keep us up to date?
I am sure he does, but he has not talked to me.
I realise that we are approaching the end of a long inquiry, but there have been occasions in the past few weeks when the number of members who are attending the meetings has dropped. I am concerned that Mike Russell is often the only representative of his party at meetings. I will contact the SNP business manager to find out what the situation is.
I can tell you what the situation is.
Irene McGugan has been attending meetings, but she is not here today. Given the significance of the inquiry, it is important that the public perception is that we are still taking it seriously.
There is no question but that my colleagues and my party are taking the inquiry seriously, and I refute very strongly any other allegation. As a result of the changes in portfolios—we do not have the luxury of a civil service to support us—there are great demands on people's time. For example, Nicola Sturgeon has transferred to health. There are a series of committee member changes that I hope will be put to the chamber tomorrow. Whether that will include Nicola Sturgeon depends on whether we can negotiate a continuation so that she can be on the Health and Community Care Committee and finish this inquiry. Irene McGugan, who is now the depute on education, will join this committee. Have no fear, we remain strongly committed to the inquiry; any suggestion to the contrary would be entirely erroneous.
I am pleased to hear that, as there have been some comings and goings, which can give the wrong impression.
At some stage, if agreement is reached and the committee changes are approved, there will need to be an agreement that the group of members who took evidence for the inquiry will remain the folk who produce the report.
That is under discussion.
That is a difficult issue for everybody, but we may wish to reflect on it.
It is up to the parties to decide whom they wish to nominate for committees. There certainly needs to be continuity in the inquiry. The final, much bigger, changes to the committee structure are not due to go through at this stage.
We will be notified in due course if there are to be changes in personnel.
Meeting continued in private until 12:30.
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