Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, January 26, 2012

Official Report 1176KB pdf

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Scottish Executive Question Time

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Education and Lifelong Learning

The first item of business this afternoon is themed question time on education and lifelong learning. To fit in as many members as possible, I would prefer succinct questions and answers to match.

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Universities (Co-operation and Collaboration)

1. To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages co-operation and collaboration between universities. (S4O-00609)

Ministers and the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council have consistently encouraged collaboration within and between the college and university sectors. I am in regular contact with representatives from the higher education sector—including Universities Scotland, which I met this morning—to ensure that our priorities as a Government are known.

In my letter of guidance to the Scottish funding council in September, I set out the need to ensure university and industry collaboration and the exploitation of research. An example of what is being done in the sector is that, since 2003, the council has invested more than £150 million in a research pooling initiative to encourage researchers across Scottish universities to pool their resources and respond to increasing international competition and collaboration.

I am sure that the cabinet secretary shares my welcome for the recent news that the University of Aberdeen, which is ranked second in the United Kingdom for scientific collaboration, and Robert Gordon University, which is one of the highest-ranked universities on positive destinations for its students, have made excellent progress towards co-operation and collaboration with each other and the colleges in north-east Scotland.

Is that co-operative way of working essential if a country such as Scotland is to use resources most efficiently and obtain the maximum economic benefits from our universities? Is co-operating nationally to compete internationally the way forward?

Absolutely. I am delighted to see that level of collaboration and co-operation. I know that the universities in Aberdeen are actively engaged in a Scottish culture of research and teaching. The University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University and the University of Dundee have all worked together as part of the northern research partnership in engineering to develop excellent research in engineering and related disciplines.

I will be at Robert Gordon University this evening to talk to its principal and visiting principals of Irish universities. One issue that will be raised is the way in which Scottish universities are building on collaborative ventures.

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Gaelic-medium Education (Highlands)

2. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the progress of Gaelic-medium education in the Highlands. (S4O-00610)

The Scottish Government hopes to see progress on Gaelic-medium education throughout Scotland and in many parts of Highland Council’s area. For that reason, the Scottish Government is working closely with Highland Council and other councils to support and encourage progress with Gaelic-medium education.

Gaelic-medium education is of course very important. Highland Council is fairly well advanced with the Fort William Gaelic-medium school, but the Portree Gaelic-medium school is lagging a bit. Will the minister update me on progress with those two schools and particularly with the Portree school? What will the Government’s contribution be? It is important that both those schools progress as quickly as possible.

I am happy to confirm to the member that I have discussed both those schools and the related issues with Highland Council. I understand that the council is giving the proposals for both schools detailed consideration and I expect to hear from the council again very soon.

The Scottish Government would certainly like both Gaelic schools to be established. I continue to have a dialogue with the council about the support that can be given for that. Establishing both schools is important to Gaelic and to the area. I look forward to working with the council to ensure that that happens.

The minister knows that I recently wrote to him about free transport provision for Gaelic-medium education. Does he agree that, when a local authority in a large rural area provides Gaelic-medium education only at one or two schools and does not provide free transport for pupils of those schools who live a considerable distance from them, it creates a two-tier system in which Gaelic-medium education is available only to pupils whose parents can afford to pay the transport cost? That is regrettable and the Scottish Government should take action on that.

I welcome the sentiments behind that question and the support for Gaelic-medium education. Arrangements for school transport are obviously a matter for local authorities, but it will not come as a surprise to the member to hear that I urge all local authorities to do everything to ensure that every parent who wishes their child to have Gaelic-medium education is allowed that. My comments on that are a matter of record.

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Further Education Budget Reductions (Vulnerable Groups)

3. To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on vulnerable groups, such as disabled students, of reductions to the further education budget. (S4O-00611)

We take our responsibilities in that area seriously and continue to work to ensure that in taking financial decisions we pay due regard to their impact on equality. An exercise was undertaken to gather available information about equalities groups that are likely to be affected by the further education budget proposals. That is summarised in the equality budget statement, which was published alongside the “Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13” and is available on the Scottish Government’s website.

Last year, colleges throughout Scotland reported a shortfall of almost £5.5 million on a budget of £95.6 million for student support. If the student support budget, which was already short last year, is about to be cut by £11 million this year, what impact does the cabinet secretary think that that will have on vulnerable students who rely on that support to study at college?

There is no cut in the student support budget. The baseline has been protected as the Government promised it would be—in fact, it has increased from the bad old days when Labour was in power very substantially indeed. I always look for opportunities to continue to add to that sum in year, and I will continue to do so. However, the reality is that this Government has been second to none—and I mean second to no party in the chamber or elsewhere—in defence of student finance. That is a lesson that members should take.

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Secondary School Education

4. To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in secondary schools to prepare young people for life, learning and work. (S4O-00612)

Since national guidance on developing skills for learning, life and work was published in 2009, considerable progress has been made, especially in secondary schools, in delivering the entitlement of every child and young person to have opportunities to develop their skills for learning, life and work.

The Scottish Government and Education Scotland are supporting further progress by regularly publishing examples and case studies of good practice in the development of young people’s skills.

Does the minister agree that if young people are being taught about civic Scotland, it stands to reason that 16 and 17-year-olds should be allowed to take part in civic Scotland by having the right to vote?

Yes—the Scottish Government indeed supports the voting rights of 16 and 17-year-olds. As someone with a portfolio interest in the prospects of young people, it seems to me absurd that we are denying 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote at a time when we expect them to take on the responsibilities of adulthood such as work, paying tax, serving in the forces and getting married.

With regard to opportunities for young people, statistics from Renfrewshire Council show a sharp decline in the number of subjects being taught at higher and advanced higher level in Renfrewshire schools in recent years. This is not the first time that I have raised concerns about the issue in the chamber. Will the minister take up the matter with Renfrewshire Council—which has cut the number of highers and advanced highers on offer, thus limiting opportunities for young people in schools—as a matter of urgency?

I thank Mr Bibby for his question, but I think that it would be more prudent for me to ask Dr Allan to reply to him in detail on that point.

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Secondary School Inspections (2011)

5. To ask the Scottish Government how many secondary schools were inspected in 2011. (S4O-00613)

From January to December 2011, 44 secondary inspections were carried out.

The minister will be aware that one of Education Scotland’s inspections took place at Woodfarm high school in Eastwood, in which the school received outstanding grades. Will the minister join me in congratulating the staff and pupils of Woodfarm high school on achieving such a first-class report?

In the report it was noted that the school was undertaking educational practices that were considered to be innovative. What mechanisms are in place to share innovative practices found in schools and to have them disseminated across the education sector and—if appropriate—implemented in other schools?

I certainly join the member in congratulating the school.

Whenever innovative practice is identified, Education Scotland carries out innovative practice visits at the school concerned. The innovative practice is discussed with the district inspector, and the headteacher is also involved.

Details of schools’ practices can be captured in a range of ways and best practice is certainly shared. A number of approaches, such as film clips and talking heads, case studies and interviews with staff and learners, can be used to ensure that the best and most innovative practice in schools in Scotland is widely disseminated.

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Modern Language Teaching

6. To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had about the future of modern language teaching in primary and secondary schools. (S4O-00614)

Scottish ministers and officials regularly meet a wide range of individuals and organisations with an interest in modern languages. As the member knows, on 15 September I attended the first meeting of the languages working group, which has been set up to provide advice on implementation of the Government’s languages manifesto commitment on the one-plus-two model.

Most recently, on 18 January I met consuls general and consulate education officers from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria, to discuss language learning and teaching in Scotland’s schools.

I thank the minister for the update on progress. The Government has been keen on the Barcelona scheme for primary schools, in which at least two modern languages are taught to children at an early age.

What discussions is the Government having with local authorities to try to reverse the cuts in modern language assistants? Only seven out of 32 local councils have assistants.

The member will not find me disagreeing with her in saying that we should try to reverse the trend. The meeting with consuls was the beginning of a process in that regard. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities was unable to attend the meeting but intends to attend future meetings.

We all have a shared interest in ensuring that foreign language assistants are more widely used. I am sure that the member agrees that not only are assistants educationally useful but they provide outstandingly good value to local authorities. I encourage local authorities to make use of them.

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Gaelic Action Plan

7. To ask the Scottish Executive what the increase in number of children entering Gaelic-medium education has been since the Gaelic action plan was published. (S4O-00615)

Since the Gaelic action plan was published in April 2010, the number of children entering Gaelic-medium education at primary 1 has increased from 390 in 2009-10 to 405 in 2011-12. Since “The National Plan for Gaelic” was published in March 2007, the number of children entering Gaelic-medium education at P1 has increased from 313 to 405, which is an increase of 30 per cent.

The minister will be aware that the supply of Gaelic-medium teachers is crucial to the roll-out of Gaelic-medium education. The distance-learning options that the University of Aberdeen, the University of Strathclyde and the University of the Highlands and Islands run allow suitably qualified people to gain a Gaelic-medium teaching qualification with the minimum disruption to their family lives, thereby increasing the supply of teachers. Will the minister give an assurance that those training options will continue?

The Scottish Government recognises that the provision of Gaelic teachers is a priority. We work with all teacher-training providers to ensure that supply is not only maintained but increased. I am happy to keep in touch with the member and the institutions to ensure that that is happening.

The Scottish Government provides support to Bòrd na Gàidhlig to employ a Gaelic teacher recruitment officer, whose purpose is specifically to address some of the issues that the member raised.

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Post-16 Education Reform (Consultation)

8. To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to publish the findings of the consultation on post-16 education reform. (S4O-00616)

I intend to present the findings of the post-16 reform consultation report to the Parliament in the coming weeks.

The cabinet secretary is aware of the concordat signed by Elmwood College in my constituency, Barony College, Oatridge College and the Scottish Agricultural College to create an arrangement that is based on specialism instead of region. Given that the consultation speaks of regionalisation of the college sector, how will the arrangement between those learning centres affect their funding following the proposal for the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council to fund colleges regionally from the academic year 2012-13?

I wrote to the Scottish funding council on 25 January 2012 with additional strategic guidance on funding allocations for 2012-13 that will allow it to make clear the funding arrangements for the land-based colleges. I strongly support the arrangement that those colleges are taking forward. I think that an arrangement based on speciality is entirely sensible in that regard and I am sure that the funding council will pay attention to that.

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College Student Support Budget

9. I apologise, Presiding Officer, for arriving late due to the late running of the cross-party group on epilepsy.

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the consequences of the proposed reduction in the college student support budget. (S4O-00617)

We have proposed no reduction in the baseline for college student support. I wrote to all college principals on 11 January to make clear that the student support budget will be maintained at the record baseline level that the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council published in December 2010. In that way, we intend to protect college students from the reductions that we have been forced to make elsewhere as a result of Westminster’s swingeing £3.3 billion cut in Scotland’s block grant over the spending review period.

I would like to thank the cabinet secretary for his reply, but of course it contained a word that is critical but which was masked by a lot of other verbiage—the word “baseline”. In reality, there has been an £11 million cut from the final budget in 2011.

Does the cabinet secretary accept that that budget, even with the additional money, was inadequate? Does he acknowledge that in my constituency requests for funding and the allocation differed by £302,000, even after the additional money, and that it has been suggested that there is a £3 million shortfall at national level? What impact assessment have he and his department done on the effect on the future potential of our college students of the reductions from the final figure that he was able to provide last year?

I find the prospect of Dr Simpson weeping crocodile tears to be deeply distasteful. The reality of the situation is this—I am sorry that he was not here to hear it in my answer to an earlier question. We have massively increased the baseline figure from what we inherited. If the figure that I gave is regarded as unsatisfactory, the figure that existed when we came to office was even more unsatisfactory. We have preserved the baseline figure, as we said we would, so that commitment has been fulfilled.

Unfortunately, Dr Simpson was not here to hear what I said earlier; I would like him to hear it, and if Labour members would stop muttering, he would be able to hear it. I said that I would like to be able to find additional resource, but this is a very tough time because of Labour financial incompetence, followed by Tory and Liberal pressures. However, I go on defending the record of this Government in the college sector and in support of students because it is—I repeat—second to none.

Liam McArthur has a supplementary question.

I think that the cabinet secretary has gone slightly further than his colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth did during the budget debate yesterday. However, can the cabinet secretary clarify whether the current settlement for colleges, despite the additional resources that the finance secretary has acknowledged have become available since the draft budget was published in September, will not be the full, fair and final settlement and that he will continue to press for additional resources for colleges in the budget?

I always press for resources, but I have found an additional £15 million for the college transformation fund and I will go on looking for opportunities. However, we have a fair, full and final settlement for colleges.

I find it equally distasteful to be lectured on college funding by the Liberal Democrats, whose party is slashing college funding south of the border in an extraordinary way and whose record on provision for students is the worst of any party in the chamber.

Neil Findlay has a brief supplementary question.

What I find distasteful is that the cabinet secretary and his colleagues signed a pledge pre-election to protect college places and improve student support, then cut £11 million from the student support budget after the election. The problem for him—

Can we have a question, please?

Nobody believes the cabinet secretary’s figures. Is the NUS lying when it says that there is an £11 million cut?

My figures are impeccable. I am one of those people who went out and argued for students. I put myself on the line to argue for students. We now know that Labour wants to renege on its previous promise. [Interruption.]

Order.

Labour now wants to charge students for going to university—we saw that last week. Indeed, we heard Margaret Curran say that the SNP’s policy on students was unfair. [Interruption.]

Order, please.

On this matter, the Labour Party cannot be trusted, because it is trying to exaggerate and to misrepresent. This Government has improved the baseline figure. When Labour was in government—that was a long time ago, and it will be longer still before it comes back into government—it did nothing.

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College Budget Reductions (People with Learning Disabilities)

10. To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that reductions in college budgets will not have a disproportionate impact on opportunities for people with learning disabilities. (S4O-00618)

Colleges exist to help people towards employment and we have made it clear that that should include everyone, regardless of whether they might have learning or other disabilities.

Ultimately, colleges take their own decisions on which courses to offer and whom to enrol, but we have made clear to the college sector the value that we place on non-recognised qualifications when they provide an access route to employment, including for people with disabilities, and that, when that is the case, we expect such provision to be protected.

That is a worthy sentiment, but it is not what is happening on the ground. The Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability carried out a survey that found that 34 per cent of part-time college places for students with learning disabilities have been cut in the past year. It identified the reasons for that as

“changing levels of funding from the Scottish Funding Council”

and

“the drive towards accredited courses aimed at employability”.

That was before the 20 per cent cut in college budgets that is coming down the line kicks in.

It is clear that unless the cabinet secretary takes some proactive, positive measure to protect opportunities for students with learning disabilities, they will be lost. Will he take such action?

The proactive actions that we have taken are the actions that are needed. We have undertaken strategic reform of the colleges to allow them to perform in the way in which they should perform; we have provided a protection of the number of places, which we guaranteed in a letter to principals last week; and we have established a great focus on ensuring that colleges deliver for those who need them most.

We have a huge opportunity to develop the college sector in a way that will serve Scotland even better. As ever, Labour is on the side of those who do not want change, even change for the better.

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Teacher Numbers

11. To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time teachers are in post and how this compares with 2007. (S4O-00619)

The 2011 teacher census indicates that there were 51,286 full-time equivalent teachers in our local authority schools on the relevant date in September 2011, which compares with 54,916 in 2007. The difference reflects a fall in pupil numbers of more than 3 per cent and indicates quite clearly that the artificially high level to which teacher numbers had been driven by the Labour-Liberal Democrat Administration was unsustainable.

The cut in teacher numbers is worrying. It is even more concerning, given that, as members know, the General Teaching Council for Scotland said that only 20.5 per cent of new teachers had found permanent work, which was a decrease on the figure of 25.5 per cent that was recorded for 2008-09, and that 16.6 per cent could not find any work at all. Supply teaching is no longer an attractive option because of the pay cuts, which mean that supply teachers earn £78 per day, before tax.

In the light of falling teacher numbers, what will the Government do to ensure that a job is available for newly qualified teachers? Right now, the Government is failing them.

In Burns week, Margaret McDougall, as an Ayrshire representative, might remember the line,

“facts are chiels that winna ding.”

Here is the fact.

Oh!

I know that Labour members do not like facts, but I will give them this one, as it is important. As of December 2011, the teacher unemployment levels for the United Kingdom and Scotland were: 20.2 per 1,000 in Northern Ireland; 12.9 per 1,000 in Wales; 12.6 per 1,000 in England; and four per 1,000 in Scotland. That number has got better and better for the past three years. A great deal of effort has been put into creating a sustainable level of teacher employment, and Margaret McDougall should be congratulating the Government on that, rather than harking back.

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NUS Scotland (Meetings)

12. To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of NUS Scotland. (S4O-00620)

I met representatives of NUS Scotland on Wednesday 14 December at a meeting that was attended by representatives of the union at a national level and student presidents of individual colleges. I have since had informal discussions with elected officials of NUS Scotland, most recently last Thursday, which, as usual, have involved constructive and challenging dialogue around a wide range of issues that affect students in Scotland. I will meet officials next week to discuss matters further.

Does the cabinet secretary recall the vitriol that was heaped on the Liberal Democrats when they reneged on their election commitment to students, and does he recall that every Scottish National Party candidate gave a similar personal election assurance to students in relation to student support? Although the cabinet secretary might wish to forget that commitment to students, is he aware that students have not forgotten that promise? Will he deliver in full on the commitment to students or is he prepared to replicate the Liberal Democrats’ betrayal of our students and suffer the same revulsion that was afforded to them?

I repeat the question that Neil Findlay asked: is NUS Scotland lying when it says that there is an £11 million cut to student support?

As ever, Neil Findlay is muttering away. I find it astonishing that, when the Labour Party—which brought forward the Browne review, ensured that students south of the border have to pay £9,000 a year and, through Margaret Curran, whom members of the party may wish to disown, says that students will have to pay for their education—finds an issue that it thinks it can use to worry the SNP, it will not ask about it once or twice but will go on asking about it. However, that issue does not worry the SNP. There is an answer—the true answer.

In our manifesto last year, we said that we will maintain student numbers and college student support. That is exactly what we are doing. We secured an increased baseline for 2011—£84.2 million—and we are ensuring that it is maintained. We also secured a share of £15 million of Barnett consequentials, split over two years. However, that was a one-off addition, as we made perfectly clear at the time. We have protected the increases that Labour never delivered.

I will say that repeatedly to students, to the NUS and to Labour, because the reality is that, on this occasion, Labour is misrepresenting the facts. I will not allow that to happen in Scottish education.

In his discussions with NUS Scotland, has the cabinet secretary had the chance to discuss the comparative merits of the Scottish Government’s approach to tuition fees, as opposed to that of the Westminster Government, and perhaps discuss what the application figures in Scotland are, as opposed to applications to universities in England, for the next academic year?

When we see the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service figures next week, we will know what the situation is. However, the interim figures that have been released tend to indicate that application figures in Scotland are better than those in England.

We have adopted a positive and progressive view of what education should be. We believe in the right to free education. We have provided a better system than exists south of the border. It is, of course, typical of the Labour Party not to give credit for that, because it gives credit for nothing to Scotland.

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College Student Numbers

13. To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to meet its commitment to keep college student numbers at current levels in 2012-13. (S4O-00621)

I wrote to college principals on 11 January indicating that colleges will receive funding for the academic year 2012-13 that will allow student numbers to be maintained at 2011-12 baseline levels. That will involve 4 per cent of places being funded through a pilot scheme that is aimed at promoting greater synergy between Skills Development Scotland and colleges.

I welcome the protection of student places. Is the cabinet secretary committed to the introduction of collective bargaining and national pay scales in further education, which has the potential to ensure that the hard-working lecturers at Angus College are better rewarded, to the tune of an estimated £3,000 a year?

I am indeed committed to collective bargaining and a national scheme of pay and conditions. I have made that absolutely clear for a considerable time and have discussed it at a number of meetings with the college sector and, on Thursday night, with trade unions in Glasgow. I hope that we will be able to continue to make progress on that.

The cabinet secretary is aware of the proposed restructuring and reconfiguring of our colleges in Ayrshire and the west of Scotland. He knows that I and other Ayrshire MSPs support the Ayrshire regional model as opposed to the Clyde coast model. Will he positively consider that proposal and the wide-ranging support for it, which would unquestionably be in the best educational interests of all Ayrshire and west of Scotland students, before making a decision?

I hope to announce next week my thinking on the regions and how far that has progressed. As somebody who was brought up in Ayrshire, I am fully familiar with its boundaries and recognise the representations that have been made to me by Ayrshire MSPs.

Question 14 has been withdrawn for perfectly understandable reasons.

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Dyslexia Testing (National Guidelines)

15. To ask the Scottish Government whether national guidelines are issued in relation to testing for dyslexia. (S4O-00623)

Although no national guidelines are issued in relation to testing for dyslexia, to help all teachers to identify the signs of literacy difficulties and dyslexia early in a child’s school life, the Scottish Government, in partnership with Dyslexia Scotland, launched the online assessing dyslexia toolkit in June 2010. That was supported by four regional seminars, which were attended by 338 teachers. In November 2011, we announced an additional £40,000 grant to Dyslexia Scotland. That will be used to review and update the toolkit; to add new materials on how to support children and young people with dyslexia effectively; to make it more accessible to teachers; and to develop a section for local authorities on how best to implement the toolkit.

What consideration is given to the use of colour screening for Meares-Irlen syndrome? I know from the charity Sight Aid International, in East Kilbride, that the 15-minute test is extremely effective. Does the minister see a case for piloting such testing locally, beyond the work that is currently carried out at Glasgow Caledonian University? I note that part of the funding is for making the toolkit accessible to teachers and local authorities. I am sure that South Lanarkshire Council would consider such a pilot, particularly for schoolchildren.

The use of colour screening for Meares-Irlen syndrome falls outwith the scope of the national health service eye examination. However, under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, as amended, education authorities are required to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all pupils for whose education they are responsible. It is for South Lanarkshire Council to consider whether it might pilot the test. If such a pilot took place, the Scottish Government would be interested in the findings.

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College Budget Reductions (Impact)

16. To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the 20 per cent reduction in college budgets will have in terms of staffing, student numbers and the range of courses available. (S4O-00624)

I inform the member—although she will know this already, as this is about the fifth time that I have said this today—that I was able to write to college principals on 11 January indicating that colleges will receive funding for the academic year 2012-13 that will allow student numbers to be maintained at 2011-12 baseline levels.

Staffing and the curriculum are matters for colleges themselves to determine. We have made it clear that, where colleges need to reduce staffing, that should be done in a way that avoids compulsory redundancies. There is also benefit to be had from the £15 million transformation fund. We have, however, no power to direct colleges on the issue, that power having been given up in 2006 by the previous Labour-Liberal Democrat Administration.

We have been listening to the cabinet secretary’s responses. He may have made the same point five times, but he has yet to shed any true light on the matter. I will, therefore, give him a sixth opportunity, in the interests of transparency. Is it not the case that his letter of 11 January is based on a comparison of an indicative budget allocation in December 2010 rather than the actual allocation in March 2011, and does that not represent a greater cut in budgets and places than he claims?

I get on well with Jackie Baillie as a neighbouring MSP, but I think that she is being unfair about this. The letter includes the word “baseline”. As a former minister—admittedly, that was some time ago—Jackie Baillie can remember what the word “baseline” means. The letter says “baseline” and the baseline is the figure on which the funding is based—every principal knew that. When the letter was released, it had the word “baseline” in it. I cannot say more than that.

What worries me is the conservatism—with both a small c and a large C—of the Labour members. We know about the collaboration with the Conservatives, but Labour stands against reform of any description.

We have a college sector that needs reform, as almost everybody in it knows. It needs change: it needs to go from 41 colleges into a better and more manageable structure, and there is an acknowledgement that we need to focus more on the needs of learners. People who know about the college sector want to see those things happen, but Labour’s only response is constantly to oppose such change. That will mean that Labour will be left behind in this argument. It will be left arguing about other things; it will not be arguing about how we serve our young people. That is a great pity, because there should be a desire across this chamber to ensure that our young people are served as well as possible and that our college sector can operate with them and with the wider groupings that it attracts.

What we have heard repeatedly this afternoon—we may hear it again—is some members looking backward on the issue instead of trying to change the college sector to be more efficient and more effective and to deliver more. I intend to do the latter. It would be nice to have the support of the chamber in doing so, but Labour members just want to prevent things from happening.

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Probationary Teachers (Employment)

17. To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to find employment for probationary teachers. (S4O-00625)

Since the teacher induction scheme was introduced in 2002, the Scottish Government has ensured that every new teacher is offered a one-year contract of employment as a probationer. Despite the difficult financial circumstances in which we find ourselves, we have secured an agreement with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that local government will maintain teacher numbers in line with pupil numbers and secure places for all probationers who require one under the teacher induction scheme.

As the cabinet secretary will be well aware, in communities throughout Scotland, including Cambuslang and Rutherglen in my constituency, there are examples of probationary teachers who still do not have jobs. Does the cabinet secretary not find it distasteful—to use his word of the afternoon—that in the coming spending review period local authority budgets are being slashed by £700 million, thereby hampering the ability of local councils to find places for probationary teachers?

There are so many possible answers to that question that it is difficult to know where to start.

Let us start with the position of Ed Balls. He has made it clear that the Labour Party should be indicating that some cuts are necessary, but that message has clearly not made it as far as far as Rutherglen or Mr Kelly, who continues to chant the same mantras. As the First Minister correctly pointed out earlier, the local authority share of Government spending is actually at a strong level.

I also used figures earlier—[Interruption.] Shouting from Mr Kelly will make no difference to the truth. [Interruption.] In December 2011—

That is what you do: you shout.

I only raise my voice to allow the chamber to hear me over the hubbub.

Yes—perhaps the chamber could hear the minister.

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

In December 2011, the rate of teacher unemployment was 20.2 per thousand in Northern Ireland; it was 12.9 per thousand in Wales, under a Labour Administration; it was 12.6 per thousand in England; and it was four per thousand in Scotland. If Mr Kelly thinks about those figures carefully—if he takes them home and studies them—he will discover that they indicate positive progress on the matter. I am sure that he will then come back to the chamber to say, “Well done.” Actually, I am not sure of that, but I am aye hoping.

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National Steering Group on Advocacy Support for Children and Young People (Meetings)

18. To ask the Scottish Executive when the national steering group on advocacy support for children and young people last met and what issues were discussed. (S4O-00626)

The national steering group on advocacy support for children and young people last met on 24 August 2011. The group discussed the content of the draft Scottish Government discussion paper “Improving advocacy for children and young people: Principles and minimum standards”. That paper is currently the subject of a full public consultation that is scheduled to run until 29 February. We strongly encourage anyone with an interest in our proposals to participate in that process.

The recently published consultation on improving advocacy for children and young people, which the minister referred to, is causing confusion in organisations that provide an independent advocacy service because of its failure to enshrine current principles into the new proposed principles and minimum standards. Will the minister give me an assurance that the current principles will be enshrined into the new principles and minimum standards? I look forward to meeting her on 2 February to discuss the issue further.

I understand and recognise the real interest that Siobhan McMahon has in the area and I will discuss the issues with her when we meet soon, when she can also set out any other points that she would like to raise.

We are clear that we want to ensure that children’s voices are heard, and that they are heard in a way that ensures that they have access to the appropriate advocacy support services. We will ensure that, when the consultation runs its course and finishes on 29 February, a full analysis is carried out. We will be able to take stock of what people say at that point.