Seòmar agus comataidhean

Those are real assets in Scotland’s renewable development work.

Your answer mentioned offshore wind projects. The issue that I will raise is also relevant to port development. I saw the work that led to the port of Leith becoming a renewables hub, the project for which is now well under way and is being consented. During that process, though, there was concern about the time that it took Marine Scotland to deliver the necessary consenting validations. Has the Scottish Government considered how it will ensure that Marine Scotland’s licensing operations team is effectively resourced in the period ahead, given that that will be essential for consenting to offshore wind projects? Rightly, we want to work thoroughly, robustly and appropriately with regard to environmental considerations. However, where projects are compliant, we want those licences to be issued as timeously as possible, whether they are for offshore wind or tidal energy projects.

I will write to you shortly about Nova Innovation in my constituency—I know that you have visited it. It is looking to deploy in Orkney, but it is still, along with partners, waiting for the necessary consenting.

How can we improve the situation to ensure that we maximise investors’ determination to make projects happen and that the processes are undertaken thoroughly? I appreciate that we will need to grow the skills base in that area and that that takes a bit of time, but how can we make that happen?

Of course.

I apologise for going back to something that I raised earlier, cabinet secretary, but it was great to hear the commitment to on-going consideration of whether further resource is required to assist local authorities with their planning processes. Can you indicate whether that is also the case for the Scottish Government and its agencies, particularly Marine Scotland and NatureScot? For example, more resource may be required to speed up the process and provide a greater number of individuals with the necessary expertise. Is that on your mind?

I appreciate that the growth in offshore and marine renewables, in particular, is moving at a pace that is perhaps out of kilter with the time that is required to build up the expertise, so there is a challenge there. I am glad that you are focused on making a difference in that regard.

Before I ask my question, I want to say something—I note that it is anecdotal—in response to what the cabinet secretary said earlier about conditions and wanting to address some of the profession’s concerns about them. Her points on that were really well made. During the pay dispute, the vast majority of the emails that I received as a constituency MSP were about conditions rather than about pay.

I agree that taking the teaching profession with us, so to speak, on reform is so important. I, too, was working in a school when curriculum for excellence was introduced. The anecdotal feedback then was that it had perhaps been slightly rushed, due mainly to political pressure. All of us would be well served, and would serve our constituents better, if we were to keep that in mind. I agree that we should work towards reform at a reasonable pace, but we should do so in a way that considers the pressures on the profession. Those were important points that you made, cabinet secretary.

I turn to the question that I originally wanted to ask, which relates to the fact that reform is not just about practicalities and processes but about approaches and attitudes. We have heard much about parity of esteem through the various reports that have been published and through our discussions and evidence sessions. Achieving such parity is so important in meeting 21st century needs and achieving wider reform in the area. How is the Government ensuring that parents, carers and family members have a better understanding of the various learning pathways and opportunities available for children and young people, such as going into apprenticeships or the workplace as an alternative to further and higher education? How can we change the unhelpfully prejudiced view in our society that some routes are better than others? We have done a lot in that space, but we need to do more.

I agree with that and with your points about the need for consistency—the minister made the same points last week—and for young people to be aware of what is available to them. That is the crucial next step.

What is the projection for 2024-25?

There have been some questions and discussion about the potential reduction in numbers in the 2024-25 budget, but it is important, for context, to consider the provision that there has been in recent years. Cabinet secretary, you said that, in the 2021-22 financial year, a record number of Scottish students were state funded to go to higher education institutions in Scotland. Do you want to put a number on that? We are talking about tens of thousands of young people having a state-funded opportunity in Scotland that is not available elsewhere in the UK. Indeed, it would be useful and interesting for members to hear the numbers for 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Do you have an approximate figure? In recent days, I have heard the figure of between 38,000 and 40,000 quoted in media sources.

As a society, we need to be more comfortable with different positive destinations. I go back to the earlier discussion around the number of university places, which has been part of the public discourse in the past few days. If more young people go into apprenticeships or directly into the workplace because that is the right route to enable them to flourish, we need to be comfortable with the fact that that may have an impact on the numbers of young people who go to university. That is not necessarily a negative thing.

We are at the beginning—well, we are not at the beginning; the situation has developed to a reasonable extent, but we have some way to go in order to get to a place where we, as a society, celebrate whatever a young person thinks is best for them and their abilities, and help them on their journey.