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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 6 July 2025
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Displaying 1523 contributions

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Education, Children and Young People Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 12 June 2024

Ross Greer

On individual universities’ fair work agendas and their relations with trade unions, the major point of dispute in the university sector over recent years has primarily, although not entirely, been about pensions as a UK-wide issue. However, do you think that there are points for improvement in the Scottish sector specifically? Is there a role for the Scottish Government there? I am thinking beyond the obvious point that, if there was more money in the sector, there would probably be less unrest. Is there a role for the Scottish Government in improving industrial relations in the university sector, or should that, in your view, be left up to the institutions and the unions?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 12 June 2024

Ross Greer

You will have heard the questions that I asked the first panel—they are similar to those that I asked the panellists last week. I am interested, in particular, in what the SFC’s role is in ensuring that colleges are fulfilling their fair work commitments. Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that the primary way in which the SFC would be involved in that is through the college outcome agreements. If there are commitments to fair work in an outcome agreement, the SFC would have a role in checking that those have been fulfilled. Can you outline how that works in practice?

12:00  

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 12 June 2024

Ross Greer

That is really useful. I would like to come back to what it looks like in practice if there is a problem and you need to get involved.

First, though, when an outcome agreement is being drafted, is each college allowed to take a bespoke approach to fair work, with quite a lot of flexibility, or do you approach them all with a minimum set of standards based on Scottish Government fair work policy? What are the baseline criteria? Do you say, “You cannot have a fair work agreement that does not at least meet X, Y and Z standards”?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 12 June 2024

Ross Greer

Grand. Thank you very much.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 12 June 2024

Ross Greer

Yes. I have been working my way through everybody who has come in, in advance of the next panel. It is getting a tip-off.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 12 June 2024

Ross Greer

Is your ability to take action if a point of fair work conditionality is not met confined purely to what is in existing Scottish Government fair work policy? If a college had come to you on the basis of a local agreement with its trade unions and said, “This is one of our fair work policies and we want it to be part of our outcome agreement” and then, for whatever reason, it did not meet that or was unable to do so, would you still be able to take action? Would you have any role in that or is your role in ensuring that fair work conditionality is delivered confined to existing Scottish Government fair work policy?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 12 June 2024

Ross Greer

If there were a breach, what options would be available to you? Would it simply be a case of clawing back money that was provided on the condition of the fair work agreement being met, or are other mechanisms available to you?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 12 June 2024

Ross Greer

That is useful. Forgive me, as I should know this, but are the proposals that you just mentioned—on the powers that a future funding body or a reformed SFC might have—in the public domain, or have you submitted them directly to the Government?

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Aggregates Tax and Devolved Taxes Administration (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Meeting date: 11 June 2024

Ross Greer

Thanks.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Aggregates Tax and Devolved Taxes Administration (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Meeting date: 11 June 2024

Ross Greer

I am sorry for indicating that rather late. I am just looking for a bit of clarity on the minister’s final few lines. Amendments 1 to 4 all make complete sense, but could the minister explain the scenarios in which Revenue Scotland would not want to exercise that operational power? Why move from “must” to “may”? What are the situations in which it would not want to do so?