Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you, convener. It is not normally said about me that I am patient, so that is a nice wee change.

Good morning, everyone. My question was originally going to be for Fiona Robertson, but you can all chip in, should you wish.

When there is organisational change, transferring staff over in their entirety is not unusual. It is the best way to work nine times out of 10. However, there are specific challenges with the SQA, as some of my colleagues have already mentioned. Fiona, you talked about the bill providing the scaffolding, but when the scaffolding goes up, you still need to deliver and get the job done. Last week, we heard from various individuals who told us that the educational landscape was challenging and very busy, and that there are a lot of people in it. How do you feel about this change? Are you and, indeed, all the organisations going to be able to work together to ensure that you can deliver this time? The scaffolding has been put up, and it is time to do the job. How do you do it?

Last week, we heard much in evidence about the independence of the inspectorate. Some of my colleagues have concerns about ministerial control. I tried to assure them that ministers are far too busy to plan world domination, but they still have concerns about there being a possible power grab. My question is probably best directed at Janie McManus. In your experience, how often have the Government or ministers directed the work of the inspectorate? For example, have they said, “Gonnae go and check out that school there”? Has there been anything at all like that from the Government?

To follow on from that, how frequently have the powers under section 66 of the 1980 act been used by ministers?

I have a fair idea of the answer that I am going to get but I will ask the question anyway. What should be the make-up of the board of qualifications Scotland?

In evidence last week and earlier today, the committee has heard that there is a broad landscape with many players. I do not doubt for a minute that teachers are an extremely important part of that, but there are many other stakeholders and people involved. There will always be someone who is saying, “We should have representation on said board because of X, Y and Z”, so how do you see the plan for this? Laurence Findlay, you have gone down this route because you mentioned the local authority point of view—and I understand that perspective, because I used to be a councillor. We will not keep everybody happy all the time, but how do you create a board that people feel is representative of all those who are involved in education in Scotland?

Would they normally be used in the high-profile cases that we are probably all aware of, where everyone has understood what has been going on because the situation has become newsworthy?

We do not often hear John Mason admit that he is in a minority’s minority. That is just a wee bit of light banter before I start.

On the more serious issue of the bill, we have heard much about the relationship between the SQA and the profession. There is a lack of trust between them, although Laurence Findlay has stated that things are getting better. I am forever the optimist and forever hopeful that we can make things better. What do we need to do to make changes? How can trust be regained with the new qualifications body?

I read that in your framework.

Finally, on the positive side—I asked a question about this and, unfairly, the previous panel of witnesses did not mention it—I know that you can be a conduit between what is happening at local government level and what is happening at national level, and that you can ensure that various different streams of funding are available. For a bit of balance in our discussion, in the current budget landscape, how do you see that work continuing in the future? I know that you have regional reps in various areas who are working with local authorities to try to make things happen.

There is also a practical thing that arises from my Sandy Stoddart example. The reality is that when you pay for a Sandy Stoddart installation, you know that it is going to take years, it is going to be massive and it is going to employ quite a lot of people. It is also going to train quite a lot of people, which brings us back to what Lyndsey Jackson was saying about the fringe. There is that tangible thing there, too.

I also wanted to ask about where the connectivity is. How do you get that story to Government, apart from in this kind of forum, so that civil servants and politicians know that that is the way forward? How does Creative Scotland, which must obviously get its budget from the Government as well, ensure that it is making that pitch for various things?

As a sidebar to that—this will be my last question—when we are talking about the disconnect between local authority funding and national funding, is it not Creative Scotland that is meant to be in that middle space? I am aware of some local projects in relation to which someone, locally, has managed to help local authorities and national Government get together and navigate through that issue. Is that not Creative Scotland’s role, too?

It is more or less about the tangibles. How do we get that story through to Government and how do we connect it up with all the other stakeholders involved?