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Thanks for that.

We have become acutely aware of the unstable financial environment in which colleges are operating, and we are now seeing that in the university sector as well. The Institute for Fiscal Studies calculates that the resources that are available for undergraduates in Scotland are around 21 per cent lower than those for undergraduates at English universities, for example. We have heard the cabinet secretary’s views on the current funding model, but universities across Scotland are calling for the Government to review that model. Is the Scottish Government willing to look at that model, or does it just understand that more universities will end up in a more difficult financial situation in the future?

I am not sure whether I heard in your answer that you accept that, after 18 years of the policy on free tuition, the sector is saying that it is not working, and that the Government is willing to review it. The cabinet secretary may want to give a yes or no answer to that.

What about a review?

In the interests of full transparency, I think that we should put it on the record that Mr Mason got a lift back to Edinburgh with the convener.

As it is the season of good will, I start by paying tribute to the work that Liz Smith has done on the bill, which has been really important for the debate. The people we met on Monday who have been involved were pleased that we are having the debate and about what it means for the future.

When we met people at the Broomlee centre, they outlined some other funds that they see groups receiving—the Robertson Trust was mentioned to us specifically. Are there other examples of funding from the third sector or of philanthropic funding opportunities? What elements of delivery of the bill could that fund—be it the teaching experience or the capacity and capital spend that we might need?

Something that stuck with me following our visit to the Broomlee centre is that it has been 80 years since a significant piece of legislation has been passed in the UK to expand outdoor education—the Education Act 1944, which is often called the Butler act. That was the foundation for the building of that centre.

I have a question about the capacity that is currently in the sector for the increased demand. Some useful data was shown to us on peaks and troughs; obviously, those are very much related to school holidays. What work has been undertaken on the bill to envisage what that would look like—not necessarily just at centres, but, as you mentioned, at camping and hostel sites as well? To what extent could different models be used?

I have a question about current capacity. As an Edinburgh member, I see my schools benefiting from the centres that we have, and schools in Aberdeenshire and the Ayrshires also have that opportunity. Do you see the bill as a way of correcting the postcode lottery that has been created, with some councils continuing to value outdoor education while others have allowed it to disappear?

I welcome the cabinet secretary’s amendments 63 and 65. My proposed amendments 85 to 94 would simplify and strengthen the current mechanisms for assessing demand for Gaelic-medium education by compressing the current system of having an initial assessment and a subsequent full assessment into a single process, which I think would be useful, as it would make the process quicker and less stressful for parents who are making key decisions about their children’s future education. Specifically, my amendment 85 proposes compressing sections 9, 10 and 11 of the Education (Scotland) Act 2016, as prospectively amended, into a single section 9. The crucial provision, which requires education authorities to provide Gaelic-medium education when the threshold of five children is reached, unless it would be unreasonable to do so, is moved forward to emphasise its importance.

After 40 years of Gaelic-medium education, there are only eight all-Gaelic schools in Scotland, with four of those being situated in Glasgow. There is currently no strategy or process in place for the establishment of those schools, and it is often left to parents to lobby their local authorities. On occasion, that has meant that local parent groups have had to fund feasibility studies for schools. As we know, it has taken a minimum of 10 years from the initial requests from parents to open those Gaelic-medium schools, which means that many parents who are campaigning for schools often do not see the benefits of them for their children. Campaigners have told me that there are currently five areas in which parents are campaigning, so far unsuccessfully, for Gaelic-medium education in schools.

My amendments could help to simplify that process. I listened to what the cabinet secretary had to say with regard to drafting, so I am happy to work with her at stage 3 and will not move amendments 85 to 94.

I do not think that we are all that far away from what we are trying to achieve. I should say that I had hoped to lodge amendments on the matter, but I had an issue in that respect.

As the Deputy First Minister has said, setting a target is one thing, but measuring an outcome is very different. As we look towards lodging amendments at stage 3, I wonder, given that all members are in the same space here, whether the Deputy First Minister would be open to working with us to achieve that.

I welcome the cabinet secretary’s amendments 63 and 65. My proposed amendments 85 to 94 would simplify and strengthen the current mechanisms for assessing demand for Gaelic-medium education by compressing the current system of having an initial assessment and a subsequent full assessment into a single process, which I think would be useful, as it would make the process quicker and less stressful for parents who are making key decisions about their children’s future education. Specifically, my amendment 85 proposes compressing sections 9, 10 and 11 of the Education (Scotland) Act 2016, as prospectively amended, into a single section 9. The crucial provision, which requires education authorities to provide Gaelic-medium education when the threshold of five children is reached, unless it would be unreasonable to do so, is moved forward to emphasise its importance.

After 40 years of Gaelic-medium education, there are only eight all-Gaelic schools in Scotland, with four of those being situated in Glasgow. There is currently no strategy or process in place for the establishment of those schools, and it is often left to parents to lobby their local authorities. On occasion, that has meant that local parent groups have had to fund feasibility studies for schools. As we know, it has taken a minimum of 10 years from the initial requests from parents to open those Gaelic-medium schools, which means that many parents who are campaigning for schools often do not see the benefits of them for their children. Campaigners have told me that there are currently five areas in which parents are campaigning, so far unsuccessfully, for Gaelic-medium education in schools.

My amendments could help to simplify that process. I listened to what the cabinet secretary had to say with regard to drafting, so I am happy to work with her at stage 3 and will not move amendments 85 to 94.