Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Meeting date: Thursday, December 5, 2024

Official Report 1104KB pdf

Point of Order

On a point of order, Deputy Presiding Officer. Yesterday, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government said that the budget gave universities a 3.5 per cent uplift. Last night, Universities Scotland said that that was not the case. It said specifically that

“The overall resource budget for universities is not rising by 3.5%”

and that, instead, its budget allocation

“represents a 0.7% real terms cut in HE resource”.

After a decade of public funding decisions that have left the sector in a precarious state, that is an extremely difficult position for it to be in. Universities are integral to Scotland’s future, and it is crucial that they—and we in the chamber—can understand exactly what funding the Government is allocating to them.

On that basis, Deputy Presiding Officer, what mechanism is open to members to invite the Government to clarify the position that it set out on universities in the budget yesterday?

I thank Ms Duncan-Glancy for her contribution; it is not a point of order. The chair is not responsible, broadly speaking, for the content of members’ contributions. The member will be aware of the numerous ways in which she can pursue the issue further with Scottish Government ministers.