ENTERPRISE COMMITTEE BACKS FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION (SCOTLAND) BILL

CENT008/2004 | 20 December 2004

The Parliament’s Enterprise and Culture Committee has today endorsed the general principles of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Bill.

The main purpose of the Executive’s Bill is the merger of the two existing funding councils - Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) and the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) - to create the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFHEFC). This single body will have a duty to provide ‘coherent strategic decision making’ at a national level covering both sectors.

Convener of the Committee Alex Neil MSP said:

“The idea of merging these funding councils was one of the key conclusions in our predecessor committee’s report into lifelong learning. We welcome the fact that this proposal has now emerged as the main purpose of this Bill.

“We welcome the Minister’s views on his ability to vary fees and his plans to perhaps do so in the case of medicine. However, we cannot disregard the fact that the legal principle in the Bill as it currently stands does not restrict variable fees only to medicine. We therefore urge the Minister during the Stage 1 debate to be very clear about his intentions, now or in the future, with regards to varying fees on any course or programme other than medicine.”

The report outlines five concerns of the Committee with regards to fees. The Committee is concerned regarding:

1. Ministerial intent: the provisions in the Bill do not refer explicitly to the study of medicine, nor do they exclude the possibility of Ministers setting an additional fee on other courses.

2. The lack of clarity on the criteria that may be used by the Executive when considering whether to vary fees for a particular course or programme.

3. The Parliamentary process: the Committee wishes to take up the Minister’s suggestion that the Executive introduce amendments at Stage 2 such that all decisions to alter fees should be subject to affirmative resolution.

4. Whether fees are the most appropriate mechanism to address wider concerns about the recruitment and retention of medical undergraduates in Scotland. NUS Scotland provided five alternative proposals which would address these concerns and the Committee urges the Executive to analyse these options.

5. The need for clarification on whether Scots-domiciled students will ever pay higher tuition fees.

Background Information

The Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Bill was introduced on 30 September 2004 by the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Rt. Hon Jim Wallace QC MSP.

The Stage 1 debate is yet to be scheduled, but is expected to take place in the New Year.

Stage 1 Report on the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Bill

For further information, the media contact is:

Sally Coyne Tel: 0131 348 6269
email: sally.coyne@scottish.parliament.uk

Enterprise and Culture Committee contact information

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