Plenary,

Meeting date: Thursday, May 21, 2009

Official Report 723KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Europe, External Affairs and Culture

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Broadcast Spectrum

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to Ofcom regarding the local broadcast spectrum to be made available for auction in Scotland. (S3O-7066)

The Scottish Government regularly meets Ofcom to discuss a number of issues, including the future use of spectrum. We have responded to the consultations that were carried out as part of Ofcom's digital dividend review. In our response to the United Kingdom Government's "Digital Britain" interim report, which I had the opportunity to talk to Lord Stephen Carter about, we recommended that further work should be undertaken to establish whether the seventh multiplex spectrum would be suitable for broadcasting purposes.

The minister is aware of the unsatisfactory situation regarding current affairs programming in the south of Scotland following the demise of Border Television. He also knows that there was concern that the spectrum that was originally offered for local broadcasting in that area did not allow a sufficient proportion of the population to be reached. Now that the auction has been postponed, will he undertake to make strong representations to Ofcom in favour of an auction that offers greater potential for local content?

I very much sympathise with the point that the member makes. Indeed, I have made such representations to Ofcom, to the new chair of Ofcom and to the Scottish director of Ofcom very recently, and I will continue to make them.

We all recognise that the situation following the demise of Border TV's news coverage is totally unacceptable. The present coverage by Tyne Tees Television is unacceptable; indeed, it is irrelevant to the local audience in the Borders and especially to the audience in Dumfries and Galloway. The best solution would be to have a single Scottish licence. I have made that point to Ofcom, and I do not think that there is much disagreement with it in the Parliament or in the broadcasting sector.

I sympathise with the member on the need for new possibilities in local coverage and, in so far as we are able to, we will support the development of such new possibilities. Of course, we could do even more if broadcasting powers were the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament, and I hope that transfer of that responsibility will not be deferred for too long.

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National Trust for Scotland

To ask the Scottish Executive what its relationship is with the National Trust for Scotland and what meetings the Scottish Government has had with it about its current difficulties. (S3O-6975)

The National Trust for Scotland is an independent charity that works to conserve our Scottish heritage, and the Scottish Government provides it with funding support for specific projects.

Recently, I and my officials have had several meetings with the trust's chair and chief executive to discuss its current, extremely disturbing difficulties. I have also met representatives of Prospect, the trade union that represents many of the trust's staff, and of in trust for Scotland, the members organisation that wants the trust to be more accountable.

Yesterday, the National Trust for Scotland confirmed that there will be 65 redundancies among its permanent staff, which will comprise 44 compulsory redundancies and 21 voluntary redundancies. What effect will that have on the maintenance and display of our national heritage? Are there any further measures that can be taken to support those who are being made redundant?

The full facilities that the Scottish Government offers with regard to redundancy will be made available to the trust's staff. I am sure that my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and her colleagues will support the trust's staff through the partnership action for continuing employment programme and other initiatives.

I deeply regret the redundancies, which are a matter for the trust. In their representations, the trade unions made what seemed to me to be a fair point, which was that in an organisation that is as specialised as the National Trust for Scotland, the greatest care must be taken to ensure that crucial skills, particularly in conservation, are not removed from the organisation. The trust must confront the difficulties that it undoubtedly faces, many of which are long term, although some of them have arisen recently, but I hope that it will consider the balance of work that it can do and ensure that it does not find itself abnormally weakened by the decisions that it makes. I will be very happy to work with the trust on those matters; indeed, conversations are continuing between my officials and trust officials.

John Scott and I must be telepathic.

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with the chair of the National Trust for Scotland and what was discussed. (S3O-6999)

I am tempted to say, in language with which Lord Foulkes is familiar, "I refer the member to the answer I gave some moments ago." As we do not use that terminology here, I simply say that my officials and I have had several meetings recently with the chair of the National Trust for Scotland. We discussed the trust's proposals for changes to its operating arrangements at several properties, staff reductions, and the specific projects that the Scottish Government is funding.

Does the minister recall the written reply that he gave to me earlier today, which confirms that £3 million of public money is given to the National Trust for Scotland each year? My experience, as an NTS member who has visited trust properties—particularly Culzean—is that there is clear evidence of a lack of commercial nous in the way in which those properties are run. Is the minister aware of that?

I am trying to be helpful for a change. Our heritage is in the care of various bodies—not just the NTS but Historic Scotland, British Waterways and a number of private trusts. Will the minister consider bringing together those bodies to develop joint marketing, development of commercial expertise and other ways of working together to get value for money, while keeping our entire heritage safe and open to the public?

I remember the answer that I gave the member this morning—my attention span is still capable of remembering such things. As the member indicates, that answer mentions a considerable sum of money. That money is project-related funding for specific projects. It is a considerable contribution to the trust and to the wellbeing of Scotland's heritage.

I am very familiar with the trust's work in a variety of places, including Culzean, where I had the pleasure to be a member of staff when I was a student. It is a special place, although even then there were strong questions about the way in which the trust approached the commercial aspects of its work.

I am sure that the member will be pleased to know that yesterday, at the final conference of the Historic Environment Advisory Council for Scotland, I said not only publicly but repeatedly that I wanted Historic Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, and the owners of the historic houses in Scotland, including the Historic Houses Association, to work together closely, to share experience, to find ways in which they can pool costs, and to sharpen the offering that we can make in Scotland.

Others could be involved, too. I am sure that members will be as surprised as I was to learn yesterday that the largest owner of grade A scheduled monuments in Scotland is not the National Trust for Scotland, Historic Scotland or the owners of historic houses, but the Church of Scotland. Eighty per cent of the ecclesiastical buildings that are scheduled in Scotland belong to the Church of Scotland. There are issues throughout Scottish life. However, those who are trying to make a commercial prospect out of our heritage and to ensure that it continues need to work together.

Is the minister aware of the situation with the David Livingstone centre in Blantyre? It was confirmed in a letter to me from the National Trust for Scotland that a £100,000 legacy is being held until a decision is made on the centre's future. Will the minister raise that issue with the NTS when he and I visit the centre next Tuesday?

I thank the member for letting me see the letter a short time ago. I find it disturbing to discover that the National Trust for Scotland has received a substantial legacy from a donor, applying to the David Livingstone centre. Presumably, if the trust had withdrawn from the centre, those resources would have had to be returned to the donor. That fact is germane, and it might have been better if it had been in the public domain when the discussions were going on, rather than now.

I encourage the trust, and its chair and chief executive in particular, to be transparent and open in the discussions that are taking place about the future of the trust's work. The National Trust for Scotland is a membership organisation, and it is important that its members and the wider public know the facts on which people are making decisions. I look forward to discussing those and other matters when I go to the David Livingstone centre with the member on Tuesday.

I am pleased to hear that the minister has been speaking to the National Trust for Scotland. In a recent press release about job cuts, the trust talks about cutting jobs from 91 to 65. However, it says that Hugh Miller's cottage will remain open as it is anticipated that the deficit will be eliminated by the reduction in staff and a reduction in opening hours to four days. Does the minister agree that it will be necessary for him to intervene in the near future to stop any salami cuts, if the trust cannot deal with its debts?

I remind the member that the trust is a membership organisation: its officials are responsible to its members, and it is for the members to take the actions that they think necessary. I have visited Hugh Miller's cottage within the past year, and I found it a remarkably interesting place. Places such as Cromarty are not overburdened with attractions of that nature, so it is important that the attractions remain open, so that they can describe the distinctive nature of their part of Scotland. I hope that the trust will focus on ensuring that its range of offerings is made widely available.

If memory serves, this is the second major round of cuts in recent years. Public confidence in the trust will be greatly eroded if cuts are seen to be part of a continuous process.

Question 4 was not lodged.

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Scottish Screen

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it recognises the importance of Scottish Screen in supporting the screen industries. (S3O-6992)

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that Scottish Screen currently plays in supporting the screen industries. That is why we provide the body with on-going grant-in-aid funding to allow it to undertake that work. Creative Scotland will inherit the functions, responsibilities and resources of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, and, by a transformation, will build on that work, taking the best from both organisations and creating a single unified body.

I am glad that the minister acknowledges the importance of Scottish Screen—given that £240 million is spent in Scotland on film and television production. Scottish Screen has played an important role in developing a vibrant and dynamic sector.

Scottish Screen is a recognised and respected brand within the screen industries. I was pleased when the minister told the chamber on 2 April that its work would continue to appear under that brand, in some way, after the merger with the Scottish Arts Council. Can the minister give us more detail on how he expects that Scottish Screen brand to live on as part of creative Scotland?

No, I cannot. I think that I indicated that, although I acknowledged the importance of the Scottish Screen brand, I also acknowledged the importance of a new creative Scotland brand. That will be essential. If the new organisation is to be the dynamic force that we all want it to be—the establishment of creative Scotland has been supported in this chamber—we should focus on ensuring that it is a dynamic brand. That is not to do down anything that has happened in the past, but to acknowledge that, in a time of limited resources, we should focus on getting—if I may use this phrase in the chamber, Presiding Officer—as many bangs for our buck as we possibly can. That means that we should be working to ensure that the creative Scotland brand is taken forward.

The important work that Ken Hay and his colleagues do is of high value and will continue under the creative Scotland label. If a way can be found to use the Scottish Screen label as an adjunct to that, well and good. I hope that the good work will continue—but Scotland could gain much more in terms of film production if we had the taxation powers that other countries have to attract film production here.

The minister will recall that, when Iain Smith resigned from the board of creative Scotland, he claimed that, in its haste to form the new body, the Scottish National Party Government was in danger of ending up like the surgeon who said, "The operation was a success, but unfortunately the patient has died." Was Mr Smith right in his diagnosis? Has the minister been able to recruit anyone with Mr Smith's screen industry credentials to replace him on the new board? If not, when might such an appointment be made?

I shall not be replacing Mr Smith on the joint board. I see no need to do so, because that joint board is a transitional board.

I have been in touch with Iain Smith since his resignation. I regret his resignation, and I said so at the time. I hope to have a longer conversation with him, but I know that there were many reasons for his resignation. He was doubtful about the process that was being undertaken. That process has been accelerated in recent months.

To continue Mr Smith's analogy of the operating table, the people who withheld the oxygen were those who voted against the bill when it was going through. I might therefore blame the entire chamber. However, let us not look back now, whoever the murderer is—and I see that Mr McAveety appears to want to claim the credit. Now that I am in the emergency room, I hope to be able to do something. I have been trying to take the process to completion; to assure all stakeholders that it will happen; to find the proper way of informing the chamber of the costs, which I hope I have done; and to reassure members about the key issues. Those key issues include the one that the Tories have properly raised, namely the resources for the creative industries—we are taking that issue forward.

I hope that in talking to Mr Smith and others—[Interruption.] I hear strange noises coming from the Labour benches. A former minister with responsibility for the matter appears to be overexcited. If she had delivered, we would not be in this situation. We will deliver, our approach will work, and we will move forward. That will show up the failures of others, particularly Ms Brankin.

Question 6 was withdrawn.

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Slovakian Nationals (Glasgow)

I hope that the new Dr Kildare will be gentle with me.

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Slovakian diplomatic officials about Slovakian nationals in Glasgow. (S3O-7011)

The Scottish Government has had no discussions with Slovakian diplomatic officials about Slovakian nationals in Glasgow. However, I recognise that there is an issue in parts of Glasgow and I am sure that the member has information that will assist me in taking the matter forward.

As the minister probably knows, the Govanhill area of my constituency is the part of Scotland that has experienced the most substantial influx of Slovak Roma. At the most recent count, there were at least 2,000 new residents in an area that has 16,000 people and was already densely populated. The situation has created substantial pressures on local health and education services and there are significant new problems of antisocial behaviour and street littering.

Will the minister consider how we can open up better dialogue with Slovak officials and seek their assistance in ensuring that Slovak nationals integrate into a host community that has faced immigration over the years and has integrated newcomers effectively? Will he visit my constituency to discuss with residents and local agencies how best to deal with a unique set of circumstances?

The issue cuts across the responsibilities of a number of ministers, but I will be happy to visit the member's constituency to discuss areas that are of particular relevance to me in my capacity as minister with responsibility for external affairs. There are also issues to be discussed with the ministers with responsibility for health, education and justice.

The member and Councillor Anne Marie Millar have talked about policing with the help of Slovakian officials. There are issues in that regard that need to be discussed. There is also an on-going petition from Govanhill Housing Association on issues that are of some relevance. I assure the member that we will work hard with him. Perhaps more than one minister should engage with him on the issue.

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Local Newspapers

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to retain the cultural role of newspapers in local communities. (S3O-6973)

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of a strong local newspaper sector and the contribution that it makes to culture, democracy and the economy. We appreciate the pressure that the newspaper industry has been facing for many months, which is why my colleague Jim Mather facilitated a discussion at a Scottish Government seminar on 4 February on how the problems might be overcome. Since that session, the First Minister and Jim Mather have had a series of meetings with industry representatives, to encourage active industry engagement and exploration of new business opportunities arising from the exploitation of new technologies.

Last week was local newspaper week. I am sure that the minister is aware of the threat that faces many local newspapers, including many in the Borders, due to declining revenue and other financial pressures. Will he support that vital sector by ensuring that public notices continue to be published in print editions?

We live in a time of considerable change in how the media operate. It is not possible to beat back the tide simply by continuing as we are; it is necessary to have new ideas about how we support local media and how the sector should develop.

I was interested to note that in recent months Mr Lamont called for the establishment of the Scottish digital network—I agree with him on that—and made a link between such a network and the health of the local media and newspaper sector. Problems are associated with the operation of a commercial digital network on a local television basis and the health of local newspapers—one could adversely affect the other.

Although I do not agree with some of the member's ideas, I agree that we need to help the local newspaper sector to adapt and change in the current times, and I will work with him and others to achieve that.

The minister will be aware that the repeal of legislation on public notices would result in a loss of £10 million for the newspaper industry. Is he concerned about that? Will he explain why Glasgow City Council's area is one of five areas that have been chosen for a public notices pilot, given that in Glasgow, internet use, which is one of the ways in which the public will be expected to view public notices, is 20 per cent behind internet use in the rest of the country? Did the minister take that into account when he chose Glasgow to be a pilot area?

Many trade-offs have to be made. The substantial reduction in the 2010-11 Scottish Government budget that has been brought forward by members of Pauline McNeill's party means that we must take ever tougher decisions to achieve a more efficient public service. We would want to do that in any case, but the decisions are being driven on by financial pressure from south of the border. The member therefore cannot complain about one thing but not complain about that. As I have said, we are in a time of profound change for the media, so it is important that we are not—as the member appears to be—luddite.

That concludes questions on Europe, external affairs and culture.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Do you share my concern that there has not been a single member of the Liberal Democrat party in the chamber for the past 20 minutes? As it is hard to believe that not a single Liberal Democrat is uninterested in the topics of Europe, external affairs or culture, perhaps you can investigate whether they have been struck down by a pandemic of a mysterious illness.

Mr Fraser, you are well aware that that is not a point of order for me.

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Education and Lifelong Learning

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Individual Learning Accounts

To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the benefits will be of the recently announced changes to individual learning accounts. (S3O-7048)

Among other changes, eligibility for both ILA 200 and ILA 500 has been extended to people earning less than £22,000, which means that an additional 250,000 people and nearly half the workforce are now eligible. ILA 500 can now, for the first time, be used for part-time postgraduate study. Those and other changes will offer more flexibility for learners who want to upskill or retrain.

How will those recent changes promote sustainable economic growth in West Lothian, given that it has the highest unemployment for a decade, the biggest more choices, more chances cohort in Scotland, a rising population, demand for training that outstrips supply and comparatively low salaries?

I am very aware of the situation in West Lothian and the concerns that the member raises. One specific change that will be helpful is the fact that, for the first time, people who are still in work—including those who are facing redundancy—will be able to use ILA 200 to retrain. We are engaging with West Lothian Council to address some of the other concerns that the member mentioned, particularly those for young people. The 16+ learning choices model, which we recently launched, will provide support in that regard, as will recognition of the issues around the funding of West Lothian College. I know that the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council is actively engaged with those issues.

I welcome the announcement of the extension of the ILA schemes. The changes will undoubtedly increase demand for college courses, over and above the huge increase in applications of up to 300,000 this year. Will the minister commit today to using the £12 million in consequentials from the Westminster budget to increase the number of college places in Scotland?

I had a useful meeting with the Scottish colleges only yesterday. I welcome the comments of Chris Travis, the new chief executive of Scotland's Colleges, on the 2009-10 allocation for colleges, which he said was very welcome, particularly during a recession. It is important that we support our colleges, which have been good at reacting to and supporting initiatives during the recession and in planning for recovery.

Cabinet colleagues will discuss how we can best use the budget consequentials. However, given that we face £500 million of cuts in 2010-11, it will be extremely difficult to ensure that all public services can be geared as the member and I would want in order to ensure that we can support students who are looking to retrain.

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Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Bill

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the benefits of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Bill will be to island communities. (S3O-7045)

The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Bill will update and strengthen the consultation practices that local authorities apply to all proposals for major changes to their schools. It will safeguard Scotland's rural schools by ensuring that local authorities have special regard to specific factors before deciding to consult formally on rural school closures. Those provisions are particularly pertinent for island communities, most of whose schools would be classified for the purposes of the bill as rural.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that the role of schools in rural areas in general is inextricably linked to their communities' economic activity, with supply very much leading demand?

Yes, I do. An important requirement under the bill is the provision of an educational benefits statement, which reiterates that educational decisions should be at the heart of any proposal. The special provision for rural schools recognises that, by and large, they are at the heart of their communities' economies. Indeed, when we launched the bill in Dalwhinnie primary school, I was particularly struck by the fact that many of the local estates required a school in the community so that local workers could be recruited.

I welcome the fact that the Scottish National Party Government is pushing ahead with another Scottish Tory policy through the bill.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that local parents and pupils at the junior secondary schools in the Western Isles greatly value the quality of education that those schools provide? Is she aware that those parents will welcome the extra safeguards against closure that the bill offers?

I recognise that a number of people have pursued the issue of rural school closures. I have been involved for five years, and it was referred to in the SNP manifesto. I recognise the contribution of Murdo Fraser, who has worked on the matter more recently. I also recognise Jamie McGrigor's point about the value of local education provision in the Western Isles. Indeed, the strengths and abilities of rural schools, including both their academic and wider achievements, have been reflected in a number of reports from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education.

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Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Meetings)

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning last met the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and what issues were discussed. (S3O-7008)

I met COSLA's spokesperson on education, children and young people on 30 April. We discussed a range of relevant issues, which focused on our shared agenda of improving outcomes for all Scotland's children and young people. I also met Councillor Pat Watters of COSLA on Thursday 14 May at the Cabinet sub-committee on resilience.

Have the cabinet secretary and COSLA discussed the process of placing requests, which is exercising many of my constituents? On their behalf, I ask the cabinet secretary to clarify the legal grounds for refusal of an application, given the significance of such refusals to families and how they manage their child care. Is it legally sustainable for a local authority to refuse a placing request on the grounds of its policy to reduce class sizes to 18, given that that does not appear in the legislation that created placing requests?

I am more than happy to send the member a copy of the national guidance on parental rights and the legal provisions. From her question, I think that she will be aware that local authorities have some latitude in interpreting individual policies. For example, I know that some local authorities look at planning matters over not just one year but several years when they are deciding on intake. If she has particular cases in which such policies have been a reason for refusing placing requests, I will be more than happy to ask my officials to look into the matter in the context of the current legal framework.

In response to Johann Lamont's initial question on whether we have had discussions about placing requests, I recognise that there have been problems in areas such as East Lothian and East Renfrewshire in particular, so such requests have been an active area of discussion with local government. Yes, local authorities sometimes want us to impose less regulation, but they are keen to have more regulation in some areas, including on placing requests. I cannot give a definitive answer as to where those discussions will take us, but we are actively looking at the issue.

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The Path is Green

To ask the Scottish Government how successful Careers Scotland's the path is green programme has been. (S3O-7054)

The path is green, which was launched in May 2008, was an innovative approach to encourage young people to consider green jobs and opportunities in the renewables sector. As a campaign, its success can be demonstrated by the awards it has won and by the increased level of awareness that it has helped to create among key groups. More important, as an example of good practice, the model is planned to be extended across the wider science, engineering and technology sectors. The new programme—the path is SET—will encourage young people to prepare for and pursue careers in science, engineering and technology. The path is SET programme is currently being developed and will be launched later this year.

Will the success of Skills Development Scotland's the path is green programme be related to the take-up of and funding for renewable energy skills-related courses in colleges such as the North Highland College in Thurso, which would be able to meet the industry's needs in the Pentland Firth if the courses were fully funded?

The Government is doing a great deal to encourage young people into the areas that the member mentions. In February, we launched our do something creative, do science campaign to tackle stereotypes about science and the career opportunities that are available to those who study science. That included £140,000 for a pilot scheme, £2.56 million a year for four science centres and £225,000 to fund Scotland's science festivals.

We have had on-going discussions with officials from Skills Development Scotland—as recently as last week and again this week—and I am happy to take up the points that the member has raised when we next meet them.

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Children's Hearings System (Reform)

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the reform of the children's hearings system. (S3O-7020)

I announced to Parliament on 30 April the Scottish Government's proposals for reforms to reinforce and modernise the children's hearings system, to refocus it for the 21st century and build on its strong foundations of supporting local communities with local people taking decisions for local children. I have personally written to every panel member, panel chair, children's panel advisory committee and children's hearings training unit outlining the proposed reforms. Those proposals will form the basis of a bill that will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament in the autumn.

Last night, Jim Hume and I met chairs of children's panel advisory committees from throughout Scotland. As the minister will be aware, those are groups of highly trained volunteers who, with clerical assistance from local authorities, recruit and train children's panel members. Can the minister advise what future he envisages for CPACs? Does he intend to pass their functions to a central national body and abolish them? If so, why? CPACs have operated successfully for the past 38 years, evolving during that period to adjust to new challenges and ensure that there is local expertise in the recruitment and training of children's panel members.

As I said in my initial answer, we need to modernise the children's hearings system to make it fit for the 21st century. As part of that modernisation programme, we must improve the levels of consistency and quality in the system throughout the country. I have spoken to many panel chairs and CPAC members, and it is recognised that we all must improve the outcomes for children and young people. That should be the focus of everyone's attention.

We intend to abolish the 32 CPACs and introduce a new national body—a children's hearings tribunal—that will establish a proper, consistent, high-level recruitment, training and support service for all children's panel members throughout the country. The tribunal president will have the opportunity to engage volunteers at the local level, and I expect CPAC members to be part of that effort.

The desire to safeguard the local characteristics of the children's hearings system—children's panels and CPACs—is shared by those who are involved from the Borders to the northern isles. The minister will be aware, from my recent correspondence, of similar concerns in Orkney to those that Elaine Murray has expressed. Can the minister confirm that the area support teams in the island groups will be drawn from the island communities? Will he urge his officials to meet those who are involved in the system in Orkney over the coming weeks to discuss in more detail their continuing concerns?

I can answer yes to both questions. Indeed, I inform Mr McArthur that I shall visit the northern isles at the end of the month to speak to children's panel members and CPAC members in Shetland, where they will all come together from the island communities—very conveniently—for me to meet them.

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Bologna Process

To ask the Scottish Government whether there have been any recent Scottish developments from the Bologna process. (S3O-7073)

The Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve communiqué setting out the next stages in the Bologna process was agreed on 29 April. It highlights priorities for the European higher education area over the next three years in areas such as mobility, lifelong learning, quality assurance and employability.

The stocktaking report, which is produced for each ministerial meeting on the basis of reports from the 46 participating countries, indicates progress against the various Bologna action lines. Scotland reports separately from the rest of the United Kingdom and achieved maximum scores for all action lines—the only country to do so.

The minister will be aware of my concerns about inequality. What does the Scottish Government plan to do with respect to the social dimension of higher education, in other words, with regard to widening access and improving retention rates?

Much of the action that is being undertaken by the Scottish Government was highlighted in the debate on student hardship earlier today. On the Bologna process, however, the communiqué that I mentioned emphasises the social characteristics of the process and aims to provide equal opportunities for quality education, and the Scottish Government has signed up to that. We agree that access to higher education should be widened by fostering the potential of students from underrepresented groups and by providing adequate conditions for the completion of their studies. That involves improving the learning environment, removing all barriers to study and creating the appropriate economic conditions for students to be able to benefit from the study opportunities at all levels.

We have done as much as that in relation to addressing student hardship by removing graduate endowment fees. Obviously, with regard to the question of the appropriate economic conditions, not all of the levers are in our hands, but we have done as much as we can, within the budget that is set for us, to improve diversity at our universities.

The minister will be aware that one of the principles underlying the Bologna process is the promotion of academic freedom. How does he square that with concerns that have been raised by the University and College Union and others that the outcome of the Government's joint future thinking task force threatens academic freedom, as it ties additional resources to the alignment of institutions' objectives with those of the Government?

The Scottish Government is extremely supportive of academic freedom, and our actions have underlined that point.

Murdo Fraser started off by asking about mobility and the ability of students to take the courses that they want. That was also a concern of ours in the Bologna process. There is a move across the 46 countries that are involved in the Bologna process to increase mobility. We did not agree with some of the proposals in that regard, because there were no effective measurements for them.

At the same time as we have been promoting the freedom of students to move between institutions in different countries, the actions of this Government have underlined our commitment to academic freedom.

How many Scottish students have benefited from the European Union's Erasmus exchange programme in the past academic year?

The latest figures for participation in the Erasmus programme, which are for 2007-08, show a 44 per cent increase on the previous year in total outward mobility for Scottish students and a 29 per cent increase for Scottish staff. We recognise that low numbers of Scotland's students participate in the programme. The 1,500 participants represent 13 per cent of those from the United Kingdom as a whole. Early figures for 2008-09 indicate that the increase will be maintained.

We have implemented a number of actions to help to increase participation. For example, we recently committed to ensuring that Scottish students who are eligible for tuition fee support from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland retain that entitlement for all recognised exchange programmes.

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Schools (Refurbishment or Reconstruction)

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding mechanisms it has in place to facilitate the refurbishment or reconstruction of schools in urgent need of repair or replacement. (S3O-7036)

Local authorities already have a range of funding mechanisms open to them to enable them to make best use of the record levels of capital funding that this Government is making available.

We are supporting £2 billion-worth of school construction and many thousands of jobs. Some £1 billion is being invested in private finance initiative and non-profit-distributing model projects that we have signed off or which are in the pipeline, and the infrastructure investment plan shows that authorities plan to invest a further £1 billion over the current five-year period.

We have already indicated our intention to announce later this year the next part of our schools investment programme. That will involve working with local authorities to take forward capital investment through the Scottish Futures Trust.

The cabinet secretary has said time and again that she will make a statement to Parliament on the funding approach for the next elements of the school estate programme, but she has not said when she will do so. Two years after the Scottish National Party took office, councils are still waiting for the Scottish Futures Trust to offer any kind of funding. When will it be forthcoming? Can the cabinet secretary assure me that the City of Edinburgh Council will be able to use the Scottish Futures Trust for its vital wave 3 school building programme? If so, when will that happen?

I would be more than happy to make a statement, with the agreement of the Parliamentary Bureau, when we can make those details available to Parliament. With the member's support, that is something that we intend to do. I look forward to sharing that news with him.