Sharon Dowey
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“There should be an outright ban, across the whole country, on phones in schools, with no exceptions, exemptions or compromise. The Scottish Government has said that headteachers have the power to impose a ban in any case, but we must go further and give them our full support.”
“Ayr diving club has been in existence since 1964 and uses one of only four diving facilities in the whole of Scotland. It is the only one on the west coast, with the other three being on the east coast.”
“This extremely important subject is more pressing than many of the things that we debate in Parliament, and I thank Pam Gosal for bringing it to the chamber. We know that schools, and the teachers and pupils in them, face a range of challenges, which we also know are not exclusive to Scotland.”
“The position should be obvious to us all: phones in schools fuel distraction and conflict, pose nightmare scenarios for teachers and inflict harm in almost every area of the school, from classrooms and corridors to the playground. That is not the children’s fault, nor is it exclusive to them.”
“As a parent, I instinctively know that the concerns relating to smart phones are completely legitimate. Anyone with eyes and ears can see the harm and distractions that those devices cause for young people, and there is also hard evidence.”
“They go back to having a life that is not lived on the tiny screen in front of them. From the minute a pupil walks into a school, there should be no mobile phones in sight. That is what the teachers want and what the children need. That is why I am delighted to give this motion my full and unequivocal support.”
The complete record
Every one of 344 lines we hold for Sharon Dowey, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 7.
“I would have hoped that Ms Dowey would have joined this Government in condemning the criminal exploitation of our children. Those offences and the exploitation of our children are somewhat hidden and underreported. It is very clear to me and others that some of our young people are being exploited by serious organised crime and are viewed as disposable resources. It is imperative that we all stand together to combat the exploitation of our children for criminal purposes. HMP Stirling (Noise Disturbance) 5.”
“The Scottish Government treats criminals under the age of 25 with kid gloves however serious their crimes are, but senior police officers have said that criminal gangs are exploiting that. At the recent summit, young people themselves said that actions should have consequences regardless of age. Will the Scottish Government reconsider its attitude to criminals under the age of 25 and scrap its two-tier sentencing guidelines? Angela Constance: I say to Ms Dowey for the umpteenth time that it is imperative, particularly in relation to our young people, that we take appropriate approaches. We see that with the independent Scottish Sentencing Council approaches, which are based on evidence and what will actually work to deter our young people from crime.”
“However, given the Government’s failure to implement so much of what has gone before, the public will also be sceptical about whether all of this debate will be for nothing, and they will be watching closely. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Michelle Thomson, who will be the final speaker in the open debate. 16:18”
“For example, in its written submission, Police Scotland stated that it could not support any increase in the current use of virtual attendance for police custodies or witnesses “without compromising service delivery elsewhere.” Superintendent Richard Thomas noted that the recruitment that would be required to facilitate virtual courts would cost anything between £1.7 million and £4.5 million, and that capital investment to improve virtual courtroom infrastructure would vary from £12,000 to £44,000, depending on how many rooms were needed across the estate. There is no question but that the principles before us today are worthy and welcome. If properly implemented, they will likely be of benefit to the people of Scotland.”
“Separately, the bill also seeks to improve matters for people who have died as a result of domestic abuse, either by homicide or murder. Anything that can move us forward in those regards is welcome, and we look forward to working on the detail of that policy. However, to make it work, we must also ensure that those who will be responsible for carrying out that work are sufficiently resourced and trusted to do so. A failure on that front would only make matters worse for the families, who have already been through so much. Various organisations, such as Police Scotland, wrote to the committee and expressed their wish for further discussion to be had with the Scottish Government on what the financial impact of the bill would be. It is all very unclear in the financial memorandum.”
“It is clear that many of the measures that were imposed in the court system during the Covid pandemic have turned out to be useful advances when it comes to delivering justice. Although many traditional elements have, thankfully, returned, it is right that we look at ways of modernising the system and making it more efficient. It is also important that that is always of benefit to those who use the justice system, those who depend on it and those who work in it, and that it is of benefit to the taxpayer. Such improvements must not become de facto cuts, either in jobs or to the court structure. It cannot be a coincidence that court waiting times are so desperately long in the years following the closure of many courts across Scotland.”
“As with the two other pieces of legislation that I have mentioned, it is also the subject of work by the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee in relation to non-implementation. The last thing that the people of Scotland need from their Parliament is another piece of legislation that promises the world but ends up never seeing the light of day. That said, we are here to debate what is in front of us in the form of the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill. The Scottish Conservatives will support the bill in the early stages, and we will work to ensure that it genuinely improves the justice system and the experience that victims and witnesses have of it.”
“Similarly, the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 sought to make significant upgrades to the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. That included helping children to participate in the court process in cases that concerned them, encouraging courts to hear their views and imposing a duty on the courts to investigate cases in which a parent had failed to follow a court order. The act also placed a duty on courts to consider the impact of delays— an issue that I will come to later—on a child’s welfare. For the most part, that act is still unimplemented. We also have the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021, which was supposed to introduce a range of new and improved protections for victims.”
“Before we try to get the bill that is in front of us to its end stages, maybe we should ask what happened to not-dissimilar legislation that was debated in the same way that has not reached an end point. First, the Female Genital Mutilation (Protection and Guidance) (Scotland) Act 2020 was initiated back in 2018 by the Scottish Government, on the basis that the practice of FGM is one of the most evil and deep-rooted manifestations imaginable of gender inequality. Although it might be more synonymous with other countries, it was recognised that we would be foolish to close our minds to the possibility that it was happening in Scotland. However, seven years on, we ask ourselves why that legislation has not been fully implemented.”
“I, too, thank the clerks for the work that they put into producing the committee’s report, and I thank everyone who gave evidence. The importance of the measures that are set out in the bill cannot be ignored. As with all legislation, it is important that MSPs of all parties do our best to reach a consensus, in order to create good law and secure policy. There are plenty of examples, down the years, of that having been achieved. However, we must also note the dangers of rushing through one piece of legislation despite not having got close to completion on a number of others. In the Scottish Parliament, it often feels as though the Scottish National Party likes to put proposed legislation on the table but is not so effective at ensuring its safe passage through the Parliament and into law.”
“Angela Constance: I have met the new chief inspector of prisons, and I will meet her again. There is a well-made point about unexpected inspections. I will not repeat what I said to Ms Dowey’s colleague Roz McCall on information sharing. However, one example of where we are actively improving information sharing relates to the improvement of healthcare information technology, which is very important for clinical purposes when it comes to providing access to the right information at the right time.”
“Recommendation 7, which is the only one that is addressed directly to ministers, is about the fundamental issue of ensuring that the SPS has access to all information about a young person, including mental health assessments. The Government admits in its response that there have been systemic failures across agencies in that respect. It is setting up a working group to look into the matter, but there is no information on when it will report or what it will do. Will the cabinet secretary make a commitment on when it will report? Also, in her previous statement, the cabinet secretary committed to speaking to the new chief inspector of prisons for Scotland about ensuring that more unannounced inspections take place. Can she provide an update on that and on what action has been taken?”
“We also have the example of the police. Earlier this month, a leading lawyer warned that Police Scotland could run into the same difficulties that NHS Fife is facing. She said that female police officers, for obvious reasons, do not want to share changing facilities with men, but that they are also likely to be too scared to raise the matter, fearful of an employment tribunal, suspension or an end to what could otherwise be a strong and successful career—all on the altar of a dangerous gender ideology designed by the SNP Government and pandered to by everyone else except the Scottish Conservatives. I hope that every member in the chamber can get behind Tess White’s motion today, but I especially hope that female members do so. We have a particular duty to women and girls across Scotland, and we must stand up for them. 17:53”
“We have well- documented cases that have made Scotland a global laughing stock, from double rapists putting on blonde wigs to gain a place in a female prison to male inmates having state-facilitated surgery to shave down an Adam’s apple. Those examples would be comical if they were not so deadly serious. The Parliament hears a lot about the vulnerability of women prisoners and how so many of them have endured violent sexual and physical abuse at the hands of men. When those accounts are shared, the Scottish Government nods its head in sympathy. At the same time, however, it does little to keep them safe from predatory males inside prison walls. From recent media reports, it appears that that now includes female visitors who are visiting male prisons being subjected to searches that are conducted by male-bodied trans women.”
“The idea that schoolgirls should have to go through experiences such as beginning their monthly periods while pushing past boys to get into a small cubicle that leaves a gap at the top of the door, separated from those boys only by a door that is a quarter of an inch thick, is utterly inhumane. The First Minister must drop the hesitation and the placating of various fringe groups and issue a simple order: that all secondary schools and public services must provide suitable separate toilets for girls as a matter of the utmost urgency. We know that the younger members of society are being affected by this issue, and so too are the most vulnerable. The situation in women’s prisons is beyond a joke.”
“As of 2024, not all secondaries in Scotland provided suitable single- sex toilets. Forcing young girls to share facilities with teenage boys is utterly shameful, and most parents cannot believe that we have got ourselves into that position. We know from evidence that is provided to us by girls that it is making them scared to use the bathrooms at schools, which causes them to miss lessons or perhaps not even turn up to school at all. It may be an uncomfortable issue for the Government to think about, but when a girl is going through her early teenage years, it is—as all females across the chamber are well aware—an incredibly difficult time for her.”
“I thank Tess White for bringing the debate to the chamber. I will focus my comments on the first line of today’s motion, which is: “That the Parliament considers that single-sex spaces for women and girls across Scotland’s public services are being eroded, with worrying implications for their rights and safety”. The issue of protecting single-sex spaces for women is being spoken about everywhere. It is talked about in the streets, at the school gates, in the pubs, in the media on a daily basis and now even in the legal system, with the on-going case of brave Fife nurse Sandie Peggie. Today, I want to talk about three specific areas where the Scottish Government’s abject failure to protect single-sex spaces for women is being felt most painfully. The first area is schools.”
“I hope that we will use the best of it to ensure that drug users across the country receive the support that they need and that Scotland’s regrettable position in terms of fatalities is finally addressed. The Deputy Presiding Officer: The final speaker in the open debate is Bob Doris, who has up to four minutes. 16:40”
“The real value of such places is that service users can speak to people who have had similar experiences and have come out the other side. In many ways, that is preferable to units that, as the panel says, treat such matters as more of a tick-box exercise. It is important to note the good work that is going on to reduce drug-related harm. Of course, the issue is emotive and can be politically charged. We might disagree about the best way forward, but we all share the same ambition of reducing the number of drug deaths in Scotland. Bringing in the views of the wider public is helpful, as it allows us to gain perspective and learn more about what people really think. Undoubtedly there are lessons for everyone in the report.”
“We need robust methods to evaluate the effectiveness of our spending and to ensure that resources are being directed to the most successful initiatives. That is why facilities such as River Garden Auchincruive in my region are so vital. Its model of recovery is refreshingly different, giving residents not only the time to reflect and rebuild but the skills and support to reintegrate into society. I take this opportunity to invite the cabinet secretary to visit River Garden Auchincruive to see the great work that is being done there and the support that it gets from the local community. The people’s panel also discussed other initiatives across Ayrshire, including community hubs that have been running successfully in Kilmarnock for almost two decades.”
“When someone successfully rehabilitates, it can save money further down the line by reducing crime and cutting down attendance at accident and emergency— and it can potentially even save the cost of a prison space. Of course, the most valuable saving of all is that of a life, not only in preventing a drug- related fatality but in ensuring that someone’s life can be positive, productive, enjoyable and worthwhile. That is what most drug users ultimately want—to be free of their addiction and to integrate back into society. However, we must also ensure that the money spent achieves the best possible outcomes. Audit Scotland has highlighted the importance of assessing where funds are going and whether they are delivering results.”
“Emma Harper: Will the member accept an intervention? I will be brief. Sharon Dowey: I would like to make some progress first. Some of that work is already under way in Scotland. In the region that I represent, we have River Garden Auchincruive. Those involved say that it is not only the people being rehabilitated who benefit; the facility has a positive impact on their families and friends, too. We know that when someone with addiction issues has a strong network of supportive friends and family around them, with the care and stability that that brings, their chances of long-term recovery are far better. There is much talk of the cost of rehabilitation in its own right, but we should be thinking about the preventative costs too.”
“I am glad to be able to take part in this debate to examine the findings of the people’s panel. We find ourselves in the relatively unique position of debating the views of members of the public, as opposed to the those of the usual experts and professionals, or even of each other. We all know about the desperate drug deaths situation in Scotland. The people’s panel does not shy away from the severity and impact of the situation, but its report also provides a useful and productive take on many areas, which I will examine as part of today’s debate. The panel is clear that the time for talking is over and that action is required, and it provides helpful details about funding structure, reducing stigma and the role of people with lived experience in the process of reducing drug-related harms.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to deal with violence in schools. (S6O-04375)”
“Although there has been an increase in the number of reports of theft by shoplifting, the detection rate has also increased, with charges being brought in for around 50 per cent of reported incidents. Police Scotland will continue to work closely with retailers through the Scottish partnership against acquisitive crime strategy to deter, prevent and investigate all reported crimes.”
“Towns and villages across the south of Scotland also suffer badly from this issue. I routinely hear from shopkeepers about the fearlessness of violent thieves, many of whom are young people and many of whom have travelled from cities specifically to target smaller communities. The verdict from workers is always the same: the people responsible simply do not fear consequences, because there are none. What plans does the Scottish Government have to finally strike some fear into those reckless and dangerous individuals, so that they know that their actions will have consequences? Siobhian Brown: The offenders will be reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes the debate on the independent review of sentencing and penal policy. There will be a short pause before we move to the next item of business. Great British Energy Bill”
“That is not an SNP council; it was set up as a result of legislation that was approved by the Parliament. I assure members that it is independent, and that I would never, for a minute, undermine that. After standing in the chamber and committing to deliver on the recommendations that were made in a fatal accident inquiry on the death of two young people, I will defend those young people guidelines day in, day out, if I need to. I believe—I am being utterly transparent here—that criminal justice policy should take account of age and inexperience and recognise the greater possibility of change in our young. Punishment by imprisonment will always exist and be with us, but imprisonment is about the loss of liberty and autonomy, not about the loss of humanity.”
“David Gauke, when reflecting on the principles of sentencing policy—such as punishment, crime reduction, public protection, victims, rehabilitation and reparation—said that sentencing policy needs to be rooted in public sector reform. There are many questions to be asked about the value of a prison place that costs almost £50,000 a year; if we had the imagination and the commitment to be transformative, that public investment could achieve better outcomes not only in relation to the rehabilitation of offenders but in relation to safer communities. I will close by referring to speaking our minds and saying what we think. Yet again, we have heard some people deride the sentencing guidelines for young people. Of course, that is a matter for the independent Scottish Sentencing Council.”
“If I have heard correctly, there are members who are in favour of the replacement prisons that are being built and are critical of the cost of that. I understand that criticism, because every public pound is under pressure, but the reality is that the new HMP Glasgow will be almost twice the size of the plans that were originally debated and that the 62 per cent increase in the price of precast concrete is far more of an issue than a few birdie boxes and a few trees. I am pleased to have secured the funding to get the contract signed. It will deliver £450 million of economic benefit. However, I do not want to build another £1 billion prison over and above the new HMP Glasgow. We cannot build our way out of this problem; we could, and should, be building our way into safer communities.”
“We are all in the midst of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill. Only yesterday, we debated in committee the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill. I have laid regulations on GPS technology, and I will come back to committee with regulations on home detention curfew. Of course, Maggie Chapman is correct to speak to the value of the third sector. After all, it has been pivotal in the national throughcare contract. There are also third sector organisations in my constituency, such as the Scheme Livi, which does invaluable work in HMP Addiewell. I hope that the debate is an opportunity for members to say what they are for as well as what they are against.”
“I agree entirely with Pauline McNeill’s points about transparency. I am confident that the commission will engage fully with victims, the Parliament and individual MSPs. I am pleased that Liam Kerr has unequivocally welcomed the review and is committed to engaging with it. On Audrey Nicoll’s question, I have asked the commission to focus initially on community sentencing, bail, remand and release from custody. Remand is a priority, which is why the new throughcare contract includes men for the first time. There is not a binary choice between being a champion for victims or a prison reformer. In the few years that I have been Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, I have overseen the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 and sponsored the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024.”
“We have 38 per cent of the prison population with a disability, 41 per cent with a long-term illness and 15 per cent with mental illness, while two fifths have experienced difficulties with drugs in the community. This might not be a populist thing to say but, irrespective of whether someone lives in the community or is incarcerated, they deserve the best medical care. The purpose of the debate is for us collectively to move on from narrating the problem to being more focused on the solutions. The purpose of the review is to take a thorough and independent look at how sentencing policy aligns with the ambitions that many of us have for a modern, proportionate and rehabilitative justice system. It is intended to inform the longer-term thinking and action; it is not instead of action.”
“Of course, we collectively have every right to use the Parliament’s powers, but there are people in the care of our prisons who could and should be suitable for alternatives to remand or custody and, indeed, there are people who would be better cared for in hospital or in a care setting. Pauline McNeill: Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention? Angela Constance: I will struggle for time if I do so; if I have time left, I will come back to Ms McNeill. We need to find better ways and pathways for progression for the people who are in our care. There have been big changes since the McLeish report. When I was a prison social worker, the prison population was 5,000. The numbers have changed, as has the complexity and vulnerability of the population, and I just cannot have that.”
“I accept entirely that the judiciary needs to have confidence in robust community disposals. Having listened to Sharon Dowey’s contribution, I also question whether the consensus that Katy Clark spoke of really exists. I think that, if Ms Clark had to respond to and comment on some of the press releases from others that come across my desk, she would have a different view. Once upon a time, as a prison-based social worker and a hospital social worker, it was my job to assess and respond to the risks and needs of individuals. As Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, my job is to assess and act on the risks and needs of our prison population and of our criminal justice system as a whole.”
“Therefore, I will not permit Opposition politicians to put words into my mouth and I put on record—right here, right now—what I have said before: our prison population is too high and we need to reduce it, and there are some people in our prisons who should not be there. That is not an attack on the independence of the judiciary, which deals with the facts and circumstances of individual cases and makes decisions based on the information and options that are available to it—Liam McArthur touched on that. The judiciary needs safe, credible and robust community justice options. I am very pleased that, in my time as Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, I have delivered an increase in funding for community justice not just for this financial year but for the next financial year.”
“We need to end automatic early release; introduce Michelle’s law to exclude dangerous criminals from the communities that they used to plague; make the victim notification scheme more transparent; give whole-life sentences for the worst criminals; and reform the ridiculous guidelines that advise against jailing under-25s. Maybe if criminals feared the prospect of going to jail, more of them would stay out of trouble, which would help to solve the SNP’s jail crisis for it. Victims of crime deserve so much better. I support Liam Kerr’s amendment. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call the cabinet secretary, Angela Constance, to wind up on behalf of the Scottish Government. 16:27 Angela Constance: I have always vowed never to be one of those politicians who only tell people what they are really thinking after they have left office.”
“She also said that the answer lies in throughcare, a point that Fulton MacGregor and Ben Macpherson also highlighted. Rona Mackay and Audrey Nicoll spoke about strengthening community justice. Criminal justice and social work services do a great job, but the issue is that they have been underfunded for years. I welcome the proposed funding increase for them this year, but we need to ensure that community justice, as well as the third sector, get the funding that they require to provide the throughcare that is needed for people who come through prison. The Scottish Government needs to spend more time focusing on the justice system so that it is fit to protect Scotland’s public in 2025 and beyond.”
“There are cases where the safest place for a person to be—for that person and the public—is a secure location, and we need to ensure that that is where they are when it is needed. The cabinet secretary spoke of a review that is to be chaired by Martyn Evans, which was welcomed by a number of members in the chamber. Maggie Chapman asked about getting regular updates on that commission’s work. The cabinet secretary said that an interim report from the commission would come out in the autumn, but I wonder whether she can tell us more about what updates there will be and whether they will be shared with Parliament. Pauline McNeill said that we need to run our prisons better from within. We must ensure that those who want rehabilitation are given the opportunity to take courses.”
“As my colleague Liam Kerr said, it is actually quite difficult to be sent to prison these days, but that is hardly surprising when a Government that repeatedly says that it will not interfere with courts and sentencing introduced an instruction in 2022 that criminals under the age of 25 will not get prison unless no other sentence is appropriate. As Jamie Greene said, safer streets should be the issue underlying any policy. He spoke of the need to clear the number of people who are being held on remand, which would help to clear our prisons. Liam McArthur said that every effort should be made to rehabilitate and keep people out of prison, and I totally agree with that. He also spoke of penal populism.”
“We know that the Government has made schools so powerless that, at best, violent and aggressive pupils simply have to be placated. At the round table, young people told us that they felt that they were forgotten. They said that, regardless of someone’s age and gender, they are responsible for their actions, and actions should have consequences. Why does the Government put so much effort into pandering to young criminals but so little effort into protecting and looking after young victims? I turn to members’ contributions.”
“I recently attended a summit on violence among young people, and the examples given by victims and their families were extremely powerful. We heard how attacks against young people by their peers were routinely not dealt with in a way that reflected the seriousness of a crime. Cases that ought to have been put through the sheriff courts were diverted to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration. The schools felt powerless to take any action, and the police would tell families that they wished that they could do more, but that their hands were tied. The Scottish Government puts much effort into looking after the interests of young criminals; so much so, it does not believe that criminals under 25 should get jail time at all, even for very serious crimes with grave consequences for the victim.”
“The justice secretary’s motion begins by lamenting the fact that Scotland’s prison population is the highest per capita in western Europe. The SNP has been in charge of the very justice system that has presided over that statistic for almost 18 years. What is more, the SNP has also been in charge of the numerous other portfolio areas—not least education but also health and social care—that can contribute to the likelihood of someone falling into a life of crime in later life. We need to be clear, especially to victims, that the failings in Scotland’s justice system lie squarely at the door of the Scottish Government. Ben Macpherson: Will the member take an intervention? Sharon Dowey: I will see how much progress I make and what time I have.”
“This debate takes place in the shadow of the emergency release of prisoners, many of them dangerous criminals, who are walking free after serving just 40 per cent of their sentence. That development tells us everything that we need to know about SNP priorities when it comes to justice. Its own failures—covering infrastructure, court business and rehabilitation—have led to a situation in which jails are too full. It is a self-inflicted crisis that spilled more dangerous offenders out on to the streets, where we know that many will almost immediately reoffend, if they have not already. All the while, victims of crime are failed and left to live in fear about what their tormentors, who are supposed to be safely incarcerated, might do next.”
“I look forward to working with Scottish Engineering, colleagues across the chamber, employers, colleges, other training providers and universities in order to take that work forward. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes the debate, and I suspend this meeting of the Parliament until 2 pm. 13:24 Meeting suspended. 14:00 On resuming— Portfolio Question Time Education and Skills”
“As well as enacting longer-term reforms to the skills system, we recognise that more immediate action is needed to address engineering shortages. That is why we are actively introducing a project to identify specific actions that could be taken to address skills shortages in the short term. Officials will be engaging with the sector in the coming weeks to assess options and agree potential solutions. The debate has highlighted challenges that the engineering sector faces. In responding to Mr Rowley, I hope that I have made it clear that we are alive to the challenges and seeking to respond to them. We are committed to working together with the sector on short-term and longer-term changes to address those challenges and realise investment opportunities for Scotland.”
“That will include improving career support so that there is better information available on career choices, potential job prospects and earnings; connecting students, schools and employers, as Alex Rowley is looking for; reforming apprenticeships by reducing the system’s complexity and getting the focus right; and building an improved understanding of the post-school qualifications system. In order to meet our economic, social and environmental aims, our skills planning work will involve putting in place a mechanism to collectively agree and prioritise Scotland’s strategic skills needs, with a specific focus on regional needs. I fully anticipate that engineering skills will be central to addressing many, if not all, of those needs, but we need a robust and objective method in order to gather data and influence provision accordingly.”
“We need employers to think creatively and work together to, in some instances, build the critical mass of students that the training providers will require to deliver the asks that are being made of them. As members have alluded to, we need to do more in our school system. Developing the Young Workforce groups across Scotland do fantastic work, and we need to encourage that incredibly valuable activity across the system. On Ben Macpherson’s point, improving the participation levels of employers in order that they can shape the outputs of our training offering is a particular focus of all the reform work, because that is essential. Over the next few years, we will undertake a programme of reform of the post-school education and skills system.”
“A total of £1 billion of tax cuts can be achieved only by cutting public spending. Brian Whittle: The minister has highlighted exactly why you keep getting this wrong. If he had invested in the college sector continually, we would have grown the economy, and your tax take would be much bigger. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Speak through the chair. Brian Whittle: That, sir, is why we are having problems. Graeme Dey: [Inaudible.]—investment in the sector at the same time as they are, I presume, supporting their party’s policy on tax cuts. They cannot square that circle. In order to best use the on-going substantial investment in the sector, we need to drive agility and efficiency in the system.”
“For example, they sometimes lie with employers in attracting and retaining staff. The motion refers to a “risk” to inward investment and the level of investment in skills. Scotland has a strong track record on attracting inward investment—for the ninth successive year, we have remained the top-performing part of the UK for inward investment projects outside London, which highlights the continued success of our approach. Nevertheless, we are alive to the need to ensure that the trained individuals whom inward investment projects require are available to them. On funding, the draft budget provides more than £2 billion for colleges, universities and the wider skills system. I say gently to Mr Whittle and to Sharon Dowey that we would be unable to sustain that level of funding if their party had got its way on the budget.”