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Turning to the report on social partnerships and research needs, money is available for committees for social partnerships. The Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee is calling business people to give evidence. If this committee presented an application to the conveners group before the end of the year with a suggestion for some kind of event, it is possible that we could get funding for it. Members may want to think about that matter and return to it, or they may wish to make suggestions now. Are there any questions or comments on social partnerships?
I suggest that we keep that item on the agenda of each meeting, because it may be that, in the course of our consideration of topics, we realise that we need more specialist research. I would hate to drop the issue completely and never come back to it.
Research could be on a specific subject, but the social partnership funding could pay for an event organised by the Equal Opportunities Committee to widen awareness of equality issues among MSPs. The money is finite, so if the committee wants to do that or to commission a piece of research, it must decide—not today, but before the money is spent.
Is it the same money that is available for social partnerships and research?
Not as far as I know.
So doing one does not exclude us from doing the other?
One does not exclude the other. There is a research budget as well.
And that is an annual research budget. As far as I know, funding for social partnerships will not be available every year.
On social partnerships and using the money to improve consultation, as we are talking about the education bill and how we can make things better in schools, can we use the money to do something a bit more imaginative, for example, visiting a school to talk to the front-line people? That could mean talking to teachers, head teachers and kids in rural and urban areas to get a feel for what it is like on the front line, rather than always taking evidence from organisations. We could get behind the organisations, to real people. Is that a sensible way of trying to be more consultative?
Members can think about that, speak to Martin and me to get more details on what is available, and bring forward suggestions at a future meeting. It is important that we access some of the funds to help the work of the committee, because that would make us more inclusive.
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