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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 15 March 2025
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Displaying 1250 contributions

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Finance and Public Administration Committee

Public Finances 2023-24 (Impact of Cost of Living and Public Service Reform)

Meeting date: 27 September 2022

Ross Greer

I want to jump back to something that Clare Reid said a couple of moments ago. She listed areas, particularly in enterprise and skills, where public spending will be reduced over the next couple of years. I do not think that anybody will pretend that that is a good thing, but the SCDI is also against any new business taxes and opposed not only to increasing income tax but to having fiscal drag through keeping income tax rates as they are. If there are areas where you are looking to increase spending and there is new revenue, the conclusion must be that there are areas of public spending elsewhere that you would deprioritise. Could you expand on that a little bit? Otherwise, I am not sure how to resolve your tax position and the spending priorities that you have outlined.

11:00  

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

That was very efficient.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

I have a final brief question. Hugh Hall said that there had been a number of lessons-learned reports, the latest of which is still due a response from the Scottish Government. Are there particular points that you would like to see in that response? For example, would you like to see proposals for reforming the NJNC or for wider change in the sector?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

It is harder to disentangle that issue, but the same debate keeps coming up about whether it is an appropriate model of governance.

Before I ask a couple of general questions about wider industrial relations issues, I want to ask specifically about local dispute resolution processes. A couple of years ago, there was a national joint negotiating committee agreement for each institution to agree a local dispute resolution procedure. At this point, I think that most, but not all, colleges have one. Before we go any further, therefore, I just want to ensure that my questions are being properly directed. Can each of you confirm whether your college has an agreed local dispute resolution process with your union?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

Is there anything—

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

I was really interested in what Hugh Hall said a couple of moments ago about the relationship between Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council. Recently there was a pretty scathing report about how dysfunctional that has been. You seemed to be suggesting a merger of those two organisations because of that overlap, which would create quite a large public body.

To clarify, are there specific functions of SDS that you think would sit better within the SFC, or vice versa? Or, are you proposing that both organisations and all their responsibilities—everything from the national careers service to apprenticeships and university and college funding—should sit under one public body?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

Do you have a timescale for when you hope to reach a resolution?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

Can I briefly follow up something that Derek Smeall said?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

I am interested in your experience as an NJNC negotiator. Would you change anything about the structure of the NJNC, accepting that the Government’s response to the lessons learned exercise has yet to be published?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Colleges Regionalisation Inquiry

Meeting date: 21 September 2022

Ross Greer

That deserves further exploration in Parliament, whether by this committee or by the Economy and Fair Work Committee.

I have a couple of questions about industrial relations. I would appreciate it if everyone could answer the first question, which is for clarification. A couple of years ago, there was an NJNC agreement about getting each college to agree on a local dispute-resolution process. That agreement was made with the EIS and there was a separate situation for support staff. I think that most, but not all, colleges have now agreed a local process and have put it in place. I would like each witness to say what the status of that is at their institution. We could hear from those who are here in person and then go to Angela Cox.