Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thanks for what you do for the language. I can tell by your passion and enthusiasm this morning that you are great advocates for it.

I think that we all feel a bit uncomfortable that we are not conducting this session in the language—I think that it is a bit of an insult. To be honest, you should not need to repeat things in English. If I were you, I would be a little less diplomatic about that. Nevertheless, let us move on.

I am interested in the wider community engagement. I understand that we are making good progress in getting more learners but that we are not making much progress in people speaking the language at home. What can you do to make sure that we make that kind of progress?

You are in charge.

Do you think that there is a bit of a tension between people in those traditional communities and those who are learners? On the initiative to spread the language across the country, you talked about potentially losing a teacher from your community, who would go off and teach elsewhere. Is it resented locally that somehow people lose out because of the success of the language elsewhere?

Surely, there cannot be anything more intimidating than Mairi MacInnes. [Laughter.]

There was a proposal—on Skye, possibly—for a community or a housing development just for the speakers of the language. Would you support something like that? Do you think that it would be a positive development?

There has probably been a more positive view of college management in today’s evidence session than there was in last week’s session with the trade unions. You have probably observed that there has been quite a lot of industrial dissent in the sector and that industrial relations are not particularly strong. Does anybody have a view on why that is and how we might be able to resolve that? Again, that is a big question, but the mood today is very different from last week and I am interested in why that is the case.

Let me be a bit more provocative.

When I was in higher education, student unions were a source of revolution and agitation. I have not really picked that up today. The college sector has faced 10 years’ worth of cuts, it is getting flat cash over the next few years and 43,000 whole-time equivalent places have been lost over several years. I wonder why you are not angry and why you are not protesting.

I am surprised by the evidence that we have heard today. The sector has faced 10 years’ worth of cuts, 43,000 full-time or whole-time equivalent student places have been cut and there is a £51.9 million cut coming this academic year. We face a flat-cash scenario until 2027. However, you do not seem angry. I am really surprised that you are not angry. If I were you, I would be spitting mad. Why is that not the case?

Yes. I have a constituency case involving a Ukrainian student who is living here. They have been taken in by a family in North East Fife, but they are studying in Ukraine. They cannot receive any universal credit support because they are classed as a student, and they cannot receive any student support because they are studying in a Ukrainian university.

On the back of the statutory instrument before us, I am keen that we write to the relevant ministers in the United Kingdom and Scottish Governments to ask them to sort out the situation and make up their minds. Are such people students or are they ordinary citizens? One way or the other, they should get some support. I do not mind which kind of support they get, as long as they get something, because we need to provide proper hospitality for them.

You are a great diplomat. You mentioned management several times, but are you both not just victims of Government policy?