Chamber and committees

Audit Scotland acknowledged that the pressures have been exacerbated by inflation, rising costs and so on, so I am glad that that has been mentioned.

Many years ago, prior to regionalisation—was it in 2014?—the Office for National Statistics announced that colleges throughout the United Kingdom were to be considered to be public bodies, which meant that they would get central Government funding. I am aware that you cannot build up reserves, but I have read that there is scope for setting up arm’s-length organisations in order that you could generate funding. I am interested to hear a little bit more about that, and maybe to hear of an example of where that has happened.

I went for the subject of college finances with the previous panel, but a lot of that has been covered.

My observation, which you will not be surprised to hear, is that I have some sympathy with your position. You are having to work within a finite budget that is being impacted by the cost of living and inflation, and you cannot borrow; I know that that is a tricky situation to be in.

Hugh Hall talked about the Office for National Statistics, which has reclassified colleges as public bodies. I assume that being public bodies increases accountability for colleges. I am looking for solutions as we move forward. If you were to vary the business and funding model, how would you balance the need for accountability with enabling colleges to have a little bit of extra space to self-fund?

I want to ask quickly about the impact of multiyear funding. Would Joanna Campbell like to come in on that?

The classification applies across the whole of the UK, not just in Scotland. Is that not the case?

At times of great loss, we are gifted an elusive opportunity to stop, take a moment and allow ourselves some space for introspection. The passing of Her Majesty the Queen has been deeply felt throughout the nation, and I join my colleagues across the chamber in expressing my sincere condolences to His Majesty the King and his family throughout this time of mourning.

When Jane Austen passed away in 1817, her brother James wrote her epitaph, which, carved in stone in Winchester cathedral, reads:

“Their grief is in proportion to their affection; they know their loss to be irreparable”.

In the days following the announcement of Queen Elizabeth’s death on 8 September, the genuine fondness felt by so many has been amplified by countless tributes, tales and warm anecdotes from people who had met her or who simply felt connected to her, as well as by more solemn moments of silence and reflection.

Although I never had the chance to meet Her Majesty, I know that we shared an appreciation for a much-cherished building in my constituency—Glasgow’s Kelvingrove art gallery and museum. Housed in immense walls of ornate red sandstone that date from 1901 lies one of Europe’s great art collections and an important landmark in the city that I call home. Following a three-year restoration project, the gallery was reopened in July 2006 by Queen Elizabeth II, who expressed her delight to be involved and her admiration for what she considered a great institution.

Today, we recognise a remarkable and historic moment and have bid farewell to the longest-reigning monarch the UK has ever seen. As I am sure that many of my colleagues do, too, I remember the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977. I was in primary school in England and my school organised a jubilee party with fancy dress. The theme was countries of the Commonwealth.

The bunting was out, the silver coins were to be given to each child and we all hurried excitedly to school in our costumes. My friend was dressed, confusingly, in what appeared to be some kind of Dutch ensemble. Eyebrows were certainly raised, given that the Netherlands was not part of the Commonwealth, but you try explaining that to a very enthusiastic nine-year-old. It was the only costume in the cupboard and she was not missing the opportunity to wear it.

The Queen was, indeed, a consistent presence for many decades, bringing comfort to many and dedicating her life to public service. I end with words from her Christmas broadcast in 2002. Addressing the nation, Her Majesty reminded us, in her stoic fashion:

“Our modern world places such heavy demands on our time and attention that the need to remember our responsibilities to others is greater than ever.”

I will move things forward a wee bit and look at outcomes. I will start off with a positive point. On results day, an open letter from a range of Scotland’s employer representative groups and others was published. They said:

“We want to reassure you that we recognise and value your qualifications as much as any other year and that the skills you have developed, and will continue to develop, will play a crucial role in ensuring a bright future for businesses in Scotland and our economy.”

I am sure that our youngsters were very heartened to hear that.

However, we are acutely aware of the changing needs of the employment sector—I am talking about not just business but social care and the public sector. We know that there is changing need and that some jobs do not yet exist, which is a challenge with regard to the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that are required. How does the SQA work with employers and further and higher education providers to ensure that the qualifications support candidates—our young people—to the next stage of their learning journey?

Is the SQA flexible enough? I am interested in the future. Obviously, skills and demands are changing, and I hear from employers that crafting a new diet will also require assessment at a robust level that is recognised. Is the SQA flexible and robust enough to be able to respond to that need?

What about the timescales? We know that there are skills shortages. It would be good to know how long it can take to develop a qualification and assess it before people start coming through.

Thank you.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm when actions to remove cladding from properties identified as dangerous under the single building assessment programme will be completed. (S6O-01324)

My constituents in Glasgow Kelvin can be reassured that those projects have continued at pace.

When announcing the Scottish safer buildings accord in May, the cabinet secretary underlined that a joint and collaborative approach was key to resolving the issue of unsafe cladding. Could she provide an update on how the accord has been received by partners across the sector?