Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, May 31, 2012

Official Report 1045KB pdf

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Scottish Executive Question Time

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Education and Lifelong Learning

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Diploma in Professional Legal Practice Students (Financial Assistance)

1. To ask the Scottish Government what consideration is being given to providing financial assistance toward living costs for those studying for a diploma in professional legal practice. (S4O-01069)

Scottish taught postgraduate students are the only ones to benefit from financial support in the United Kingdom. We have introduced for 2012-13 a new postgraduate tuition fee loan under the postgraduate students allowances scheme, which will provide about 5,000 eligible postgraduate students on eligible courses with the ability to continue their studies.

Students studying for the diploma in professional legal practice will all be eligible to access the new loan, whereas only a limited number are supported under the existing model. We anticipate that about 700 diploma in professional legal practice students will now have access to financial support for tuition fees, which is more than double the previous total. Support for living costs is not available to all postgraduate students, so DPLP students are not alone in that, but there are alternative sources of funding, such as professional and career development loans.

As with previous Administrations, our priority has always been to support first degree qualifications. Postgraduate funding has always been limited to a group of vocational qualifications. The new loan scheme opens up eligibility to a much wider group of students.

The diploma in professional legal practice, the diploma in social work and the postgraduate diploma in education stand out from other postgraduate courses in that they are an absolute requirement for entry into their respective professions. Students undertaking the diploma in social work receive bursaries, and students on the PGDE can expect support equivalent to that available for undergraduate degrees. However, students studying for the DPLP are considered to be in the same category as students who undertake courses that are not mandatory for employment.

The current funding arrangements cannot seriously address the accepted narrow social profile of students on the DPLP. Notwithstanding current financial constraints, will the cabinet secretary at least consider reviewing the appropriateness of the arrangements for the DPLP?

I am grateful to the member for his long-standing interest in the subject, but neither of those points actually holds water when examined closely.

First, the Scottish Government’s policy has always been to support as many students as possible to attain a first degree, and that remains a core objective, particularly given the current circumstances. Secondly, funding for students who are studying for the diploma in professional legal practice under the postgraduate students allowances scheme was previously available only for the top 300 students, who were nominated by their university, while the other students received nothing at all. However, from 2012-13, all those students—more than 700—will be eligible to apply for non-means-tested loan funding of up to £3,400 towards the cost of their tuition fees. That increases the opportunity for students from non-privileged backgrounds.

There are reasons why the diploma in social work is different. We do not support similar schemes for other professions in which employment is mainly private, such as the architecture and veterinary professions, and I do not think that we should do so in the case of the legal profession.

The cabinet secretary slightly pulls the wool over our eyes, because the grants that were available covered the fees for the diploma but, as he knows, he withdrew the funding that covered the fees for 300 places. Therefore, the loans replace that funding, which was withdrawn.

There is a real access issue for students from non-traditional backgrounds in getting to the point of qualification to practise law, which is the end of the diploma. Will the cabinet secretary consider extending the student loans scheme so that people can apply for a student loan to cover their maintenance costs? That would have no budgetary implications for the cabinet secretary; it would simply mean that those people would be entitled to apply.

I will of course consider all possibilities to assist students, but Jenny Marra is not correct that the measures do not widen access. I repeat that funding was available only for the top 300 students, all of whom were nominated by their university. Now, every single one of the 700 students will have access to finance. By definition, therefore, a wider range of people will be able to get additional help. The move helps postgraduate education and does not hinder it, which is why I support it strongly.

Brief questions and answers will allow us to get through many more questions.

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Modern Apprenticeships

2. To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of modern apprenticeships by level. (S4O-01070)

Mr Park is requesting information that the Scottish Government does not hold centrally. However, as that relates to an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland, I will, in accordance with parliamentary guidance on parliamentary questions, ask the chief executive of SDS to write directly to Mr Park with the details of modern apprenticeships broken down by level. I assure Mr Park that I, too, am very interested in the issue.

I appreciate the minister’s response. I ask her to include in that correspondence with SDS some clarity on the opportunities that are available to individuals who undertake a level 1 or level 2 apprenticeship and then move on to level 3. Will she also clarify whether such students progressing through the levels are counted as one start, or whether they are double counted in the Scottish Government’s figure of 25,000 modern apprenticeships?

I will certainly seek to get that clarification for Mr Park.

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Commission on the Delivery of Rural Education

3. To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the report by the commission on the delivery of rural education, expected to be published in August 2012. (S4O-01071)

I hope to respond to that report as soon as I can after its receipt. Sheriff David Sutherland and his commission have been working very hard. They have a vast range of complex evidence to consider. Obviously, we will need to absorb that when he reports, but I am keen that we progress the issue.

Does the cabinet secretary agree with me and the comments that Liz Smith, the Tory education spokeswoman, made on 14 April, when she said:

“Local schools are vital to the survival of rural communities”?

I am always happy to agree with Dennis Robertson, and I am occasionally happy to agree with Liz Smith—and on this occasion I do so. I do not think that anyone who knows me and my work will fail to know that I have worked very hard on the issue of rural schools and against closures for a long time. I regard the commission’s work as of central importance, and I will ensure that understanding of the really important role of rural schools in communities is taken forward strongly.

I join the growing consensus on the issue. The cabinet secretary will recall writing to the council education conveners on this very day last year to propose a moratorium on closures from 20 June 2011 to 20 June 2012. Understandably, Mr Sutherland is looking for additional time to complete his report, but the inevitable consequence is that the moratorium must be extended. Will the cabinet secretary confirm that that is the case? Will he also indicate whether, over the course of the past year, there have been any exceptional circumstances that have resulted in school closures?

I am glad that Liam McArthur knows the very day that I made the announcement. It had slipped my memory, but I am grateful to know that it was a year ago today.

On the second point, when I made that announcement, I made it clear that there would be occasional exceptions, particularly if a community was united in its view that a school should close and a new school should be occupied. There have been one or two of those situations—I can think of one in Ayrshire, for example—but the decisions have been reached by negotiation and discussion. The proof of that is that, by and large, there has been no public dissent from them.

On taking the issue forward, it is obvious that the moratorium should remain in place if the report is not received. The new education conveners will be aware of that: I will personally make sure that they are aware of that when I meet them, and my officials have also made it clear to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. To be fair, I do not think that anybody would want to do anything other than wait for the report, on which we hope future policy will be based.

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Commonwealth Games (Schools Refurbishment)

4. To ask the Scottish Government whether schools in close proximity to Commonwealth games venues will undergo refurbishment before 2014. (S4O-01072)

As the statutory responsibility for the provision of education rests with local authorities, it would be a matter for the individual authorities concerned to consider refurbishing schools in close proximity to Commonwealth games venues before 2014.

I completely agree that primary school buildings are the responsibility of, in my case, Glasgow City Council. The teachers and education within the schools are generally of an excellent standard. However, does the minister agree that it is disappointing that primary schools such as St Michael’s primary, Wellshot primary and St Anne’s primary, which are close to Commonwealth games sites, are in very poor condition? Has the minister been given any indication by Glasgow’s Labour council whether it will deliver its election promise of refurbishing such schools before the games?

We have had no indication from Glasgow City Council that it intends to refurbish those particular schools. However, we are aware that the council intends to carry out an assessment of the primary school estate over the coming months with a view to carrying out a programme of refurbishment.

Further to the assessments being completed, I understand that the council will develop a timetable for implementation of the programme. All local authorities are preparing their bids for support from phase 3 of the £1.25 billion Scotland’s schools for the future programme. It is for Glasgow City Council to consider its bid, and we look forward to hearing from it in July.

Question 5 has not been lodged by Tavish Scott, but for entirely understandable reasons.

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Adult Apprenticeships

6. To ask the Scottish Executive in what sectors Skills Development Scotland will continue to support adult apprenticeships. (S4O-01074)

Within limited public funding there is a need to prioritise resources. Given the continuing challenges within the labour market for young people, it is important that we maximise the number of 16 to 24-year-olds moving into employed apprenticeships. All approved frameworks in Scotland, including retail, will be funded for that group.

We also remain committed to ensuring that the key and supporting sectors have access to a wide range of all-age skills development tools, including apprenticeships, for both new entrants and the existing workforce.

Skills Development Scotland says that it will fund individuals who are 25 or older in key sectors, but funding for adult apprenticeships in tourism—a key growth sector—has been withdrawn and the funding for 25-plus modern apprenticeships in approved occupational areas is ridiculously low, making it uneconomical for organisations to deliver those qualifications to the approved 25-plus group. Will the Scottish Government act to address those obvious inconsistencies in the way that it allocates and funds apprenticeships for those aged 25 and over?

It is important that the key sectors as reflected in our economic strategy are aligned not only with our modern apprenticeships programme but with our wider education provision.

I will go away and look at the question on tourism to see what the detail is. I do not know whether there is more than one framework for tourism. However, we will have a detailed look at that, and I will reply directly to the member.

Colin Beattie does not appear to be in the chamber for question 7. We find this unacceptable and will expect an explanation by the end of the day.

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Health and Safety (Primary Schools)

8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides guidelines on the implementation of health and safety policies in primary schools. (S4O-01076)

As the statutory responsibility for education in Scotland rests with local authorities, it is for individual authorities to determine health and safety policies in their primary schools. As that area is reserved, it would be for the Health and Safety Executive to consider the need for such guidelines.

In some primary schools in my constituency of Glasgow Anniesland, I have seen evidence of many years of neglect of the fabric of buildings in which teachers have to teach and children are expected to learn. Irrespective of the weather, windows are bolted and painted shut; classes are held in corridors and cloakrooms, with consequent overcrowding and trip hazards; and walls, skirting and ceilings are cracked and unsightly. Can the Scottish Government pursue the Westminster Government to ensure that the Health and Safety Executive will take up such issues in Scottish schools?

As I indicated, while the Scottish Government does not have a statutory responsibility to provide the schools or to enforce health and safety, I sympathise with the spirit of the member’s question. We of course seek to improve the condition of school buildings, and the financial commitment that we have made through the Scottish Futures Trust and the schools for the future programme is testimony to that.

As I said in a reply to an earlier question, we await a response from Glasgow City Council about its plans for school refurbishment. If the member has concerns about anything specific in his constituency that he wants to bring to my attention, I am happy to meet him about it.

My question follows on from Bill Kidd’s pertinent question about safety. Moorfoot primary school in Gourock requires significant investment in modernisation to ensure that all the children are taught in a newer, modern school. The downside of that process is that construction work must take place, and older buildings often reveal the presence of asbestos, which obviously raises concerns among parents.

I was interested to hear the minister’s previous answer. I accept what he says about reserved matters, but does he not have a role in ensuring that best practice is implemented across local authorities, that the strictest possible safety regime is in place and that children do not suffer undue disruption during teaching hours? Should there not also be a proper consultation when such work has to take place, to reassure the parents throughout the process?

I understand that the cabinet secretary has recently received correspondence specifically on the issue of asbestos. The Government expects the best of local authorities in ensuring that disruption is minimised and that, above all, safety concerns are to the fore in whatever building operations take place.

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Curriculum for Excellence

9. To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is carrying out on the interim effect of the implementation of curriculum for excellence on attainment levels in schools (S4O-01077)

The Scottish Government and its partners are carrying out a range of research and other activities to evaluate the impact on attainment of the curriculum for excellence. Those include the Scottish survey of literacy and numeracy and our on-going participation in the programme for international student assessment—PISA.

Like many members, I am supportive of the overall aim of the curriculum for excellence in driving child-centred learning, but I am sure that the cabinet secretary will agree that its introduction should never be given as an excuse for falling attainment standards, as it has been in one primary school in my constituency. Will the cabinet secretary confirm that such an excuse is not acceptable? If I furnish him with the details, will he look into the matter urgently? There will be a crisis meeting with parents next week.

I give that unreserved assurance to the member. I am shocked that any school would say that the curriculum for excellence is responsible for falling attainment levels, as the opposite is true. If that is being said, it is absolutely untrue. If the member furnishes me with that information, I shall act on it.

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“Communication Matters: Improving Communication in Additional Support Needs”

10. To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the recommendations in the report, “Communication Matters: Improving Communication in Additional Support Needs”, by the centre for research in education, inclusion and diversity at the University of Edinburgh. (S4O-01078)

As part of the development of a long-term plan to support implementation of the additional support for learning legislation, Scottish Government officials are engaged with key stakeholders and networks. Officials will consider the recommendations made in the “Communication Matters” report as part of that process.

I look forward to the Government’s response in due course. The report also highlights that the right of young people to make a reference to formal dispute resolution mechanisms is not being exercised. Without parental support, looked-after young people are being disadvantaged in the system. How does the minister intend to address that issue?

The Government will introduce a plan to support the implementation of additional support for learning, and I reassure the member that the specific issue that he has raised about looked-after children will form part of the focus of that plan. In addition to engaging with official stakeholders and networks, Scottish Government officials plan to consider the recommendations made in the report that the Education and Culture Committee has produced. Specifically, the issue of access to dispute resolution mechanisms will be considered within that.

The report that was mentioned covers many issues that relate to working with young people with additional support needs and their parents. What work is being done with local authorities to ensure that individual education plans are accessible and practical working documents and not indecipherable documents that merely get stuck in filing cabinets?

The member raises the important issues of the relationship between schools and parents and, as he put it, the decipherability of the material that is available. In instances where understanding does not exist between schools and parents on these matters, we hope that issues can be resolved locally. In the minority of instances where they cannot or where people are dissatisfied, we will of course want to give consideration to some of the issues that I mentioned in my previous answer.

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Special Schools Pupils (Assistance into Employment)

11. To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to special schools in order to assist pupils into employment. (S4O-01079)

Through the opportunities for all initiative, the Scottish Government is supporting young people to develop the skills that they need for life and work and to progress towards and into work. Opportunities for all gives an explicit commitment to all 16 to 19-year-olds, with an offer of a place in learning or training for those who are not in education, training or work. It is for local partners, including local authorities and their schools, Skills Development Scotland and the wide range of learning and support organisations to support young people to take up the opportunities and sustain the option that is right for them.

The Scottish education awards will take place on 12 June, and Woodlands secondary school in my constituency is a finalist for the secondary enterprise and employability across learning award. Given the difficulties that all school leavers are facing in finding employment in the current economic climate, is the innovative approach that Woodlands has adopted to help its pupils to gain transferable skills one that could be rolled out across the sector?

I add my congratulations to Woodlands secondary school. The ambition of schools on the employability and enterprise agenda is heartening. Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting Glencryan school in Cumbernauld, which is another school that caters for children with disabilities and additional support needs, and it is doing some fantastic work in the area. I am somewhat surprised that Mr MacDonald has not invited me to see the great work that is going on in Woodlands secondary school.

The beauty of the curriculum for excellence is that it is a single curriculum. All children work towards the same objectives and experiences, but it is tailored to their individual needs and talents. It is flexible enough to allow schools to meet the needs of their pupils and their local area. However, I hope that schools within a local authority area and across the country make efforts to share good practice.

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Integrated Learning (Dumfries and Galloway)

12. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in advancing integrated learning in Dumfries and Galloway. (S4O-01080)

I believe that good progress has been made. On 8 May, I led an encouraging meeting at the Crichton in Dumfries that was hosted by Dumfries and Galloway Council and involved Dumfries and Galloway College, the University of Glasgow, the University of the West of Scotland, the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council and the Crichton Trust, among others. As the member knows because she was present, we agreed an action plan for partners to develop proposals that could unlock a unique opportunity to integrate senior phase school provision, further and higher education and research on one campus site.

There has indeed been encouraging progress on integrated learning in Dumfries and Galloway. May I add a suggestion? Given that Dumfries and Galloway is Scotland’s learning community, can it be considered for one of the pilot projects in the new modern languages programme?

I am happy for that to be given serious consideration. The idea of a learning town, a learning campus and a learning region is an exciting one and it is being pursued by the new administration in Dumfries and Galloway.

The languages working group has made a number of interesting recommendations. Over the next few months, we will work with partners to identify the right places for the pilot schemes on the 1+2 languages policy. If Dumfries and Galloway Council found itself bringing forward a proposal, I am sure that we would consider it seriously.

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Degrees (Employer Demand)

13. To ask the Scottish Government what degrees it considers will be in greatest demand by employers by 2020 and how will it encourage more people to study for them. (S4O-01081)

The higher education sector in Scotland works closely with industry to identify skills needs. It is for universities to decide on their course provision and encourage participation, and it is for the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council to ensure that there is a coherent spread of provision across the sectors that takes into account Scotland’s economic, social and cultural needs.

The minister will be aware of the great opportunities that are ahead for Scotland, particularly in the fields of science, medicine and engineering. However, shortages of such skills are becoming manifest. How can the Scottish Government ensure that we do not end up with skills shortages combined with structural unemployment?

It is widely accepted that science, technology, engineering and mathematics are priority growth areas, particularly with the growth of new clean energy sectors, for example. To address the issue, over the next three years the Scottish funding council will provide an additional 1,200 funded university places to ensure that Scotland’s graduates have the right skills to meet the needs of our various sectors and industry.

What more can the Government do to bring our business and education sectors together to see what can be done to mitigate the skills shortage in the north-east of Scotland, and in my Aberdeenshire West constituency in particular?

I know that Mr Robertson has a particular interest in the issue, as he represents the north-east and I have heard him speak before about the particular needs of the oil, gas and energy sectors. I point him in the direction of the skills investment plans for the energy sector and other important sectors in his locality and in Scotland nationally. Skills investment plans include demand statements about what industry actually requires, and they are vital if we are to match up the needs of industry with our educational provision for young people.

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Post-16 Education

14. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its reform of post-16 education. (S4O-01082)

I will be delighted to do so. We are making excellent progress with post-16 reform. We are doing so by working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including universities, colleges, training providers and local government. I shall make a full statement on our reforms before the end of the current Parliamentary session.

The cabinet secretary will be aware of the work of the Health and Sport Committee on the progress of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Bill, which, as he knows, focuses primarily on the role and duties of local authorities. Concerns have been raised about the multi-agency approach to planning, which should enable students with complex needs to make the transition from school to further education, ensure the best outcomes for those young people and avoid increased pressure on the families who support them. What discussion has the cabinet secretary had with his ministerial colleagues about the role of further education with regard to the bill?

The member makes a good point. As we develop the outcome agreements for regional colleges, that issue and the issue of learning disabilities must come to the fore, so that, within our expectations of each region and their delivery agents in the colleges, we place an expectation that those issues will be taken into account and acted on. I would be very happy if the member or the committee came to me to discuss how those issues could be built into the regional outcome agreements.

Many young people do not go into post-16 education. How will the Scottish Government identify them, and what are the procedures for offering them training under the opportunities for all initiative, in Inverclyde and in each of the local authority areas in the west of Scotland?

My colleague Angela Constance has done considerable work with Skills Development Scotland and others to ensure that we are aware of young people who leave school and go into the jobs market and who are looking for training or education or who are simply not being contacted in any way.

My colleague has also been very concerned about those who are most distant from the labour market. I hope that we can build and develop a system that ensures that every single individual has the opportunity that goes with the opportunities for all initiative and that they get what they need.

Question 15 has been withdrawn for entirely understandable reasons.

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Student Management Fees (Legal Advice)

16. To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has received regarding charging management fees for non-United Kingdom European Union students. (S4O-01084)

It is not the practice of this or any previous Scottish Government to reveal either whether it has received legal advice on a particular matter or, if it has, the content of any such advice.

Can the cabinet secretary tell me whether the solution to the EU students issue will involve Scottish students paying a fee or levy of any description?

I remain completely, utterly and absolutely committed to free access to higher education. I hope that the member who asked the question also has that commitment. If he does, I hope that he will tell his party leader, who appears not to.

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Postgraduate Education (Access)

17. To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that access to postgraduate qualifications is based on ability to learn rather than ability to pay. (S4O-01085)

As I said in response to the first question this afternoon, the Scottish Government’s policy has always been to support students to attain a first degree.

The new loan scheme under the postgraduate students allowances scheme will widen access to almost 5,000 students from the 2012-13 academic year—the figure is up from 2,700 in 2011-12.

Students who would previously have received no funding will now therefore be able to access loans to contribute towards the cost of their tuition fees. I should point out, as I did in my first line this afternoon, that Scottish taught postgraduate students are the only ones to benefit from such financial support in these islands.

I echo the importance of that scheme in opening up postgraduate qualifications more widely than happens in the rest of the UK.

Does the cabinet secretary consider that perhaps the exclusive focus of widening access initiatives on undergraduate qualifications could benefit from a little bit of expansion, given that it is just as vital that postgraduate qualifications are open to all? Would he welcome, as a first step, more information being published on who is undertaking postgraduate courses?

That is an important issue. Indeed, this week when I met the president of the National Union of Students and the president of Edinburgh University Students Association, we discussed information availability—both information from universities on the demographics of those who are studying and information for students who are potential postgraduates on what is available to them.

I am in no doubt that investment in postgraduate education is exceptionally important for the future of Scottish universities. Worldwide, postgraduates are often the lifeblood of a growing, expanding and developing higher education sector. I am proud of the fact that the sector in Scotland is expanding. Indeed, higher education is expanding in only three places in Europe: Slovenia, Luxembourg and—I am proud to say—Scotland. I am pleased that Scotland is enlightened in that way and invests in higher education for the future of the country.

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New Technologies in Schools

18. To ask the Scottish Government how it will encourage the use of tablet computers and other new technologies in classrooms. (S4O-01086)

The potential for mobile devices, including tablet computers, to enhance learning in Scottish schools is being explored by Education Scotland through a new online community of practice. The aim is to help us understand how technologies can be embedded in learning on a wider scale. Education Scotland will give consideration to the publication of national guidance on sustainable solutions for the deployment of devices in schools, including advice on the potential use of pupil-owned devices. That forms part of a larger programme to promote the aspirational use of technologies in our schools, which is underpinned by the five information and communications technology in education objectives.

As recent job market figures have shown again that the strongest demand for permanent staff in Scotland comes from the information technology and computing sector, does the cabinet secretary agree that ensuring that our children’s IT education is of the highest possible standard is essential to the Scottish economy? Does he believe that the speed of technological development means that we must always be open to introducing new methods and technologies in our schools?

Absolutely. A couple of weeks ago, I had an inspirational visit to Sciennes primary school in Edinburgh, which is in Jim Eadie’s constituency. I saw a primary class there working with tablet computers as a normal tool. That showed how that approach changes ideas, visions and methods of work and will equip those children incredibly well for moving forward. Access to such devices will not happen overnight, but we should be aspirational, learn how such initiatives are working and look at ways of taking them forward.

I note a personal interest in the subject.

Is the cabinet secretary aware of research that is being undertaken on the use of iPad technology to help to address the communication needs of children with autism and improve their educational attainment? Has the Scottish Government commissioned research, or is it keeping an eye on international research, on the issue?

We are aware of and excited by the research. The Scottish Government has for a number of years funded CALL Scotland at the University of Edinburgh to develop expertise in the use of assistive technology in communication in schools. A variety of projects are on-going. If the member wishes to see any of them, I will be happy to arrange that.

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Further and Higher Education (Highlands and Islands)

19. To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting further and higher education in the Highlands and Islands. (S4O-01087)

Further and higher education in the Highlands and Islands is being supported through the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, which supports thriving colleges, as well as the University of the Highlands and Islands, in the delivery of high-quality further and higher education.

We are building even further on that success through new regional funding arrangements for colleges in the Highlands and Islands and through the consideration that the UHI and its academic partners are giving to the university’s future structure and governance. In doing that, we aim to develop a system of post-16 education that allows seamless progression for all learners.

The cabinet secretary will be aware that the first commercial spin-out from the University of the Highlands and Islands—Greenspace Live Ltd, which was created to commercialise research that was generated at the Greenspace Research hub at Lews Castle College in Stornoway—recently became a fully fledged company. How will the Scottish Government encourage other commercial spin-offs from the excellent work that is going on in the UHI?

Commercial spin-offs can be encouraged by a range of means. Some of the knowledge exchange partnerships and knowledge and innovation partnerships that are funded by the Scottish funding council and others are key means of providing such encouragement.

There is a range of possibilities in the Highlands and Islands. I recently visited the Scottish Association for Marine Science at Dunstaffnage, where fascinating work is being done on the use of algae to produce fuels.

Research needs to be encouraged in an academic context, but capital and support are needed when research moves into the commercial sphere. Both those elements are available, and the interchange of leading researchers and research students with commercial companies is important. A lot of the funding council’s work on that is cutting edge and highly successful.

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Youth Unemployment (Co-ordination with United Kingdom Government)

20. To ask the Scottish Government how efforts to tackle youth unemployment in Scotland are being co-ordinated with the UK Government. (S4O-01088)

The Scottish Government will work with all partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors to respond to the national challenge of youth unemployment. We have made an explicit commitment to offer all young people between the ages of 16 and 19 a learning or training place through the opportunities for all programme. That will be supported by an additional £30 million of Scottish Government investment and up to £25 million of European funding to help young people who are seeking work.

The UK Government’s youth contract scheme, which is active in Scotland, includes wage incentives for employers and voluntary work for young people. Given the work of Skills Development Scotland, the community jobs fund and the opportunities for all programme, and the £55 million that the Scottish Government has invested, I am slightly concerned about duplication of and a lack of co-ordination with the UK Government’s activities. Will the minister assure me that she will monitor the situation and seek to improve it where possible?

I assure Bob Doris that we are making every effort to avoid duplication, which means that our money can go further and support more young people towards and into work. I will make a point that may sound political, but which is actually pragmatic: we could do far more for our young people if skills and employability were the preserve of this Parliament.