 Y fraskawchwch cyfraith y cyfrifiad yng Nghymru yn yw pÙlwyr yr yan ffordd i Llywodraeth yno, sydd wedi dechrau yng nghymru i mwynhau gwaith. Mwysgwyr gyfoesydd yn ddiwedd iawn i gyfrifiad yr ymwysgwyr neu'r cyfrifiad yr ymwysgwyr gan ynghymru, rwyf yn digwydd y cerddwyd y ti'r cyfrifiad ar gyfer amser. Rwyf yn ôl gyfrifiad yr ymwysgwyr yn y cyfrifiad yr ymwysgwyr yr ymwysgwyr iawn. Adder roofs. Adder軽. Ryf yn weithio at gael. helpless. Are we all agreed? The motion is therefore agreed to. The next item of business is consideration of business motion 1365. In the name of Jo Fitzpatrick on behalf of the parliamentary bureau setting a timetable for the stage 3 consideration the mental health Scotland bill. Any member who wishes to speak against the motion should press request speak button now. I call on Jo Fitzpatrick to move motion number 1365. Moved. I know members asked to speak against the motion therefore I now put the question, Maewshddol yn gyfgaredd. Rhydwg yn eich gweld gan holl shallw hyn mor hwn. Rwy'n Mynd i chi i'n gyd, rwy'n gweld daith hynny. A elwodraeth i chi ddysgu'r cilydd, gyda gydag gan meddwl am hwn o'r ddiwg. Rhywbeth y cilydd yn iawn, ymddangos i gyflym iawn. Ieithio i chi'n gweld anhygoel wrth hyn, mae ein sgoliaeth uchelio i ddiweddol i gyflym iawn i ddycholio i gyflym iawn. Mae ymddai arniadau o gweld amser ar gyfer My school is analysed to show how many teachers would be affected by changes to registration. As of September 2014, 100 independent schools employed 4,034 individuals as teachers of that total approximately 645 staff were not registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. Alex Johnstone The Cabinet Secretary will be aware that a number of submissions to Education and Culture Committee on the Education Scotland Bill have expressed serious concerns about the Scottish Government's proposals. In particular, the international school of Aberdeen explains that delivering its unique curriculum to a diverse group of students would not be possible if they could not hire teachers who were not registered with the GTCS. How does the cabinet secretary plan to address those concerns? I thank Mr Johnston for his question. Of course, there were many stakeholders and indeed the Scottish Council of Independent Schools who are keen to work with the Government as we roll out those proposals on ensuring that all teachers, in respect of where in the education system they work, are registered and we have been working with the independent sector on this matter for some 15 years now. With regard to the international school of Aberdeen, we understand that for some independent schools, particularly the smaller ones, such as the international school of Aberdeen, things could be a bit more challenging. Just now, the school employs 68 staff, only 11 are GTCS-registered. From initial information received, more than 50 per cent of the staff who are listed as not being registered hold a teaching qualification, which potentially could be allowed to make them register. The work that we will take forward with the GTCS, who are already leading a working group, working very closely with the independent sector, we will be looking to ensure that we are supportive, particularly of the smaller schools, showing some flexibility but, of course, with no dilution of standards. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that it is in the public interest to register teachers in all school sectors so that, no matter where your child is educated, parents will know that the quality of teaching staff is regulated by the GTCS? I believe that it is in the public interest that teachers, irrespective of whether they work in state schools or state-funded schools or in an independent sector, have that reassurance that teachers are registered and that schools as employers have that reassurance. One of the quality marks of Scottish education is that we have a graduate teaching workforce, that they have a teaching qualification and that teachers are registered. The registration of teachers is very important, particularly in terms of the requirements for fitness to teach and for the professional update. Teaching is a learning profession and, of course, we expect teachers, irrespective of where they teach, to be lifelong learners as well. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government when it last met with representatives of the Scottish Funding Council and what matters were discussed. I last met the chair and chief executive of the Scottish Funding Council on 4 March, and we discussed a range of matters of importance to both the HE and FE sectors in Scotland, and my officials regularly meet with their counterparts at the Scottish Funding Council to discuss a wide range of issues. I wonder when the minister met with the funding council. Will he discuss the plight of the 13 members of the catering staff at Glasgow Kelvin College, who have been served with compulsory redundancy notices? Can the minister confirm today that there is a Scottish Government policy that there should be no compulsory redundancy notices in any sector or any employees within the college sector? It is indeed part of the Scottish Government's public sector pay policy not to have compulsory redundancies. Of course, the college sector has to have regard to that public sector pay policy. It is not obliged to follow the detail of that public sector pay policy. We, as a Government, have consistently been clear since 2011 in terms of myself and my predecessor, Michael Russell, about our expectations with regard to the college sector and no compulsory redundancy. However, we have always been clear that we are not in a position to force the college sector to apply that policy. Indeed, that power of direction was foregone in 2005 by the then minister, Alan Wilson. On the substantive point that Mr Martin raised, which is a very important point, I met with Unison this morning. I have also recently met EIS. Unison, this morning, took the opportunity to raise the plight of the 13 members of staff employed in the canteen that he refers to. Although the reality of the matter is that the catering contract at Glasgow Kelvin College is ultimately an operational matter for the college and the firm that manages it, and while the employment of catering staff is the responsibility of the contractor, I am concerned about the process, about how events have transpired when you look at the history of the situation. I call on all involved to ensure that as much as possible is done for those who are affected and who are now facing job loss. Given that the Scottish Government aligns its priorities with the Scottish funding council in terms of skills and training, why have 25,000 college places been cut in ICT at a time when there is a drastic shortage of ICT employees across Scotland? That is a sensible point that Mr Scanlon raised. It is important that our college sectors in terms of the courses that they are funding and supporting are aligned with the economy locally and nationally. In terms of the recognised qualifications in terms of ICT, that is largely being held static. Where there has been a deep prioritisation is the range of computing courses that are about how to work a mouse and other digital courses about how to organise your calendar at Christmas. I am not saying that those things are not important. There is a range of ICT courses available in the sector, and it is important that the FE sector focus on the ICT courses and enable people to get into jobs. That is at the HNC level, as well as at the higher level. Of course, we are always looking at the detail that Mr Scanlon raises. We are now coming to question 3. I say to members and to the minister that I would be grateful if the questions and answers were as succinct as possible to allow me to make some progress. To ask the Scottish Government how the college student head count in 2014-15 compares with 2008-9. The Scottish Government has a strong track record on colleges. We are investing more than Labour ever did. We have exceeded our commitment to maintain full-time equivalent college places, with more than 119,000 full-time equivalent places for students in 2013-14. Just over 14,000 more students successfully completed full-time courses, leading to recognised qualifications, a third higher than in 2008-2009. There are more full-time students under 25 and over 25, and the number of women studying full-time has increased 15 per cent since 2006-07. I thank the cabinet secretary for that information, but it is not quite the answer. Maybe she can give me that in her second answer. I asked about student head count this year compared to 2008-9, but according to Audit Scotland, student numbers have dropped by 36 per cent between 2008-9 and last year. That is 140,000. Fewer people are picking up extra skills in our colleges. 74,000 of those people who are no longer at college were adult learners. People who had returned to education to pick up qualifications did not get a school or to retrain for a new career. Can I ask the cabinet secretary if she believes that colleges are still institutions for lifelong learning? Yes, I certainly believe that colleges remain institutions for lifelong learning. 27 per cent of the provision goes to people who are over the age of 25. I know that Mr Griffin and his colleagues are focused on the head count measurement, but if we look at the full-time head count measurement at Scotland's colleges—for example, by age group—we will see a 17.5 per cent increase over the piece from 0607 to 1314 for the age group 16 to 24. I think that that was a very important move, given that young people are always affected the hardest times of recessions. Although we have prioritised young people, it is wrong to say that that has been at the exclusion of others. It is important that colleges—we see that from their outcome—provide young people and older learners with the opportunity to study more full-time courses that are leading to recognised courses. For example, the full-time student numbers for advanced-level IT courses, most prized by employers, has virtually unchanged since 0607. Question 4, Stuart McMillan. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the provision of free school meals. We have worked closely with COSLA and local authorities to implement our policy of providing free school meals to all children in primary 1 to 3. We are fully funding this policy, providing £70.5 million over two years in revenue funding and £24.8 million in capital funding. I am delighted to say that over 129,000 primary 1 to 3 pupils are now benefiting from a healthy and nutritious free school lunch. Latest statistics show that almost 99,000 more primary school children are taking a free school meal, helping them to get the best possible start in life and succeed at school, while also delivering a saving for families of around £380 per child per year, protecting household incomes and helping us to tackle the scourge of child poverty in Scotland. Stuart McMillan. I thank the minister for that reply and considering that the Scottish Government is fully funding the extension of the free school meals policy to primaries 1 to 3 and also with the revenue capital funding, can the Scottish Government and the Scottish Minister inform me if the extension of free school meals to all pupils in primary 1 to 3 has included hot meals to be one of the daily options? I have to inform Mr McMillan that no, the provision of a free school meal doesn't have to be a hot school meal, but I can reassure him that the lunches can be hot or cold, but they must comply with national requirements for school, food and drink. Those requirements include providing a choice of two vegetables and two types of fruit every day. Those are set under the nutritional requirement for food and drink in schools regulations 2008. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the educational impact of schools built under PFI and PPP. The Scottish Government has made clear that the PPP-PFI approach used in the past has not delivered best value for the taxpayer in Scotland. As a result, since May 2007, no new PPP-PFI projects have been initiated by the Scottish Government. By the time we have finished repaying those contracts, the total estimated cost will be £13.9 billion. We have tasked the Scottish Futures Trust to examine potential ways of reducing existing PPP-PFI contract payments, and they have undertaken a review of a number of operational PPP-PFI contracts across Scotland to identify opportunities where, with further focused work, significant savings could be achieved. I thank the minister for that very positive response and that stunning sum of money that is involved there. The minister will be aware of the implications for music and sport out of school activities and the costs that can be associated with that. I wonder whether we would encourage the negative impacts of PPP-PFI to be reflected in additional sport for the fashion movement. The member will be aware of my support for the fashion movement and the Government's support for arts and music that is kept within school. The wider point, if I take it correctly, that the member is raising is about efficiency and about the fact that, if we ensure that, in the future, we have more significantly efficient ways of financing our school building projects, we will ensure that there is money to be put into services and, indeed, buildings in the future. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the post-study work visa. The Government is committed to working with the UK Government, as recommended in the Smith report, to ensure that a post-study work route is put in place in Scotland. I very much welcome the recent backing of 100 figures from business and academia for the scheme. My colleague, whom I use as Minister for Europe and International Development, has twice written to the UK Minister for Immigration, Mr Brokenshire, and, most recently, on 20 May, fall in the UK election. My colleague, Mr Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Education, also raised this in a letter to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, on 15 May. I understand that their offices are currently seeking a meeting to discuss post-study work visa among other matters. In addition to that, the Scottish Government and the UK Government officials met on 23 January and, again, on 13 March, to discuss a potential post-study work route. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that very comprehensive answer, which deals with my supplementary question. I hope to reassure the chamber and Mr Campbell that we will continue to keep up the pressure. Colleagues will possibly be aware that Humza Yousaf has established a new cross-party working group that has representatives from across the chamber on, and we look forward to progressing the matter further. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the use of video conferencing and other remote learning facilities can have in helping smaller secondary schools broaden the range of subjects offered at all levels. The Scottish Government acknowledges that technology can play an important role in delivering education across a wide geographic area. It can afford learners and educators the opportunity to connect from different physical locations, and it can help to broaden access to learning opportunities. That is one of the reasons we continue to offer glow. It provides all learners and teachers in Scotland free access to a range of tools and services, including web conferencing. We also support Scholar, an online learning environment that delivers regular, specific live online homework and revision sessions. However, it is for schools and local authorities themselves to decide how best to deliver education services that meet local needs, including which online resources to use. I thank the minister for that answer, and I have had examples of where parents have moved their children from far secondary in Betty Hill to Thurso in order to access a greater number of subjects, but not only far secondary, but Kinloch Berby, Ullipol, Gerloch in my constituency all need to make CFE available in larger ranges of subjects but have constraints on the number of teachers that they have. Can the minister roll out national guidelines again to ensure that students in small schools have a fairer chance to access the full range of SQA-approved certificates subjects? Some of the technological solutions that I mentioned are only part of the story on the issue of staffing levels. As a member will be aware, the Government has invested in agreement with all local authorities to maintain teacher pupil ratios. However, as I have indicated, many other solutions that the Government is happy to work with local authorities on around the technological issues that I mentioned in my first answer. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure secondary school pupils in the Highlands and Islands can study the subjects that they need to meet their career ambitions. As I just indicated, the Scottish Government wants all of our learners to have access to a broad range of curriculum choices. However, responsibility for the delivery and management of the curriculum sits with local authorities. The commission on the delivery of rural education, which was reported in 2013, made recommendations for local authorities about resourcing the curriculum in small rural secondary schools and highlighted the need for flexibility and innovation. We want to ensure that learners have access to the subjects that they want and to have the right teachers in the right places at the right time. That is why we have provided £51 million and secured a commitment from every local authority that they will maintain teacher numbers. Rhoda Grant The minister will be aware that pupils in UST have complained of not being able to study the subjects that they would like to harming their chances of accessing further higher education and the jobs that they want. We have also seen fewer young people entering medicine who come from the state school sector because of the difficulty of studying the required number of sciences. What is the minister doing to ensure that where you live and where you learn is not a barrier to your career choices in Scotland? Rhoda Grant On the first point, regarding UST and Scotland-Leona Clitch, it will not come as a surprise to the member to know that, being the local member myself, I have met the director of education about some of the issues that were raised publicly there and pursue and continue to keep in touch with the local authority about those concerns. Regarding the wider issue that she raises about science qualifications and about the relevance of that for people going into medicine, I would, without taking it away in any way from the importance of qualifications for those particularly onerous entry requirements for medicine, without taking away from that. I think that we all have a responsibility to look at the changes that have been in the new qualification system and understand that, in any given year, particularly in the fourth year, although there may be a smaller number of subjects taken, that does not mean that there will be people coming out of school at the end of their six years with fewer qualifications. Indeed, the universities have been very quick to point that out. Colin Beattie Does the minister agree that one of the core principles of curriculum for excellence is that decisions are made locally to take account of local circumstances? Yes, indeed. It is, of course, the responsibility of individual local authorities and schools to decide which subjects are taught to take into account of their local circumstances and needs. Question 9, Richard Lyle. To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of young people who left school in 2013-14 went on to a positive destination and what those destinations were. Government secretary. A record, 91.7 per cent of young people leaving school in 2013-14 in Scotland were in a positive follow-up destination in March 2015. Follow-up positive destinations include school leavers who are in employment, undertaking a modern apprenticeship, or who are participating in higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, or anattivity agreement, approximately nine months after leaving school. I am particularly pleased that the gap between school leavers who have been looked after and are non-looked after peers is narrowing and that 73 per cent are in positive destinations nine months after leaving school. However, we always have much more work to do and must focus our efforts relentlessly in closing the gap. Richard Lyle. I thank the cabinet secretary for her response and could ask the cabinet secretary if she would outline what progress the Scottish Government is making in widening access for those in deprived areas to help them to support them in going to university. The school leaver destination figures show that 63 per cent of school leavers are going into either further or higher education. That is a record high. We have, of course, made steady progress on widening access. University acceptancies for those from the most deprived areas are increasing and figures released by UCAS just last week show a 50 per cent increase since 2006 in the application rate for 18-year-olds living in our most deprived areas. Those are encouraging signs, but we recognise the need to go much further. That is why we have created the commission on widening access to advise ministers on achieving our ambitions that a child born today, irrespective of their backgrounds, should have an equal chance of access in higher education. The commission this week has issued a call for evidence, and I encourage everyone with an interest in it to respond. To ask the Scottish Government what its most recent estimate is of the PFI service charges payable by the City of Edinburgh Council for school infrastructure projects. The total estimated unitary charge payable by the City of Edinburgh Council for its two PFI contracts is £1.27 billion. Is the minister aware that the amount to which the City of Edinburgh Council has to pay in unitary charge payments for schools built using the private finance initiative is now running at an eye-watering £39.6 million for the financial year 2015-16? Does he not agree that PFI is robbing councils of much-needed resources that would improve the learning experience for many of our young people and that the people who are paying the price are the pupils, such as those at the Liberton primary school in my constituency, who are being denied the investment that is needed to fund a new five-class room extension which, according to the parents association, would ease the pressures at the school? The member is right to point to the fact that PFI and PPP are models of funding, which, for a very good reason, have been consigned to history by the Government. The member refers to the two PPP and PFI projects that have been embarked on in the past by Edinburgh, the first of which had a capital value of £129 million and unitary payments of £527 million, and the second of which had a capital value of £208 million and unitary payments totaling £743 million. We all must accept that those payments will include things such as on-going maintenance and management of buildings. The case is very clearly made as to why the Government decided that those were policies that were best changed and better ways of funding our school buildings in the future had to be found. Does the Scottish Government consider that local authorities are best able to tackle the budget difficulties when they are making spending decisions autonomously? Of course, it is up to local authorities how they spend their money, but local authorities throughout the country would increasingly come to the view that we would, which is that the Government has to work with local authorities to find systems of funding large capital projects that do not burden the taxpayer locally or nationally with undue payments under the distant future. To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that school leavers are given the best opportunity to go on to a positive destination. The proportion of young people who left school and have sustained a positive destination, as I said earlier, has reached a record 91.7 per cent. Curriculum for Excellence offers young people learning that promotes both academic and vocational qualifications, which are informed by the needs of our employers. Developing the young workforce sets out our aim to further the links between education and industry, and our opportunities for all commitment ensures an offer of further learning or training that that is in place for all young people until their 20th birthday. Young people are better supported than ever to make the most of the opportunities available to them, and that includes better career information, advice and guidance, so that they can make informed learning and career choices based on labour market demand. Would she agree with me that the actions taken at Craig Royceland community high school in my constituency has seen a magnificent improvement in HMIE reports through enlightening changes to its curriculum, as well as partnership with local businesses should be seen as an excellent model in preparing students for a life beyond school, as well as being a source of pride for the local community? Yes, I have visited Craig Royceland community high school on two occasions now. The first of which was to launch the commission for developing Scotland's young workforce, the report. I very much congratulate the head teacher staff and pupils of Craig Royceland on the improvements that they have made. Education Scotland has identified some key strengths in the school in terms of their co-ordinated and high-quality support for both young people and their families, and that shared vision that is securing positive destinations for young people, all of which is key aspects of raising attainment. I know that the head teacher shared his curriculum model with other secondary head teachers at a national conference on curriculum for excellence earlier this year. Thank you to ask the Scottish Government what importance it places on the role of college principals. Presiding Officer, colleges are vital to our continued success in education, helping to develop a skilled productive workforce that drives our economy. Strong and ambitious leaders are essential in realising that ambition. We are fortunate to have a wealth of talent and commitment in our college principals and their staff, and I was pleased last week to launch the new guide for college board members to support them in meeting their responsibilities. I also took the opportunity to thank them for their commitment, which has contributed to huge progress in college reform. Christina Potter, the principal of Dundee and Angus College, retires from FE tomorrow. She is calling time on a 17-year plus career as a principal, which began at Elmwood in 1997, took in leadership at Dundee College before overseeing the successful measure of Dundee and Angus colleges. She is also a straight-to-the-point and highly respected member of the board of Scotland's colleges. Will the cabinet secretary join me in acknowledging Christina Potter's fantastic contribution to the sector and wishing her a very long and enjoyable retirement? Of course, Presiding Officer, I welcome the opportunity to add my best wishes and thanks to Christina Potter as she retires from her role as the principal of Dundee and Angus College. Her leadership and commitment has allowed for the successful creation of the new regional college, and she departs having established the college's reputation as a highly respected and forward-looking institution. I hope that she will continue to find a way to share her considerable experience and expertise that she has developed over her many years in education. I welcome the cabinet secretary's comments to Paul Martin on the canteen 13 at Kelvin College. Given that many former principals have enjoyed enhanced redundancy arrangements, does she agree that current principals whose role involves decisions about redundancy for others should perhaps have more regard for fairness to those who are lower paid? Will she make that point to college principals, including the principal of Glasgow Kelvin College, who, on 9 June, wrote to Glasgow members indicating that he could do no more for the canteen 13? It is imperative that we all always look to do more. It is fair to say that there are limitations on the role of ministers in resolving the matter and in a way that would be to the satisfaction, certainly, of people across the chamber. The important aspects of college reform is that it has improved accountability. I know that Mr Smith touched on the issues of voluntary severance. Of course, there are far more rigorous procedures in place in signing of voluntary severance agreements. On the issue of the canteen staff, it is important that everybody, where possible, pulls together to ensure that canteen staff can look forward to a future. I know that there may be some opportunities for continuous employment in the college sector that some members of the canteen staff would be willing to pursue. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the management of Glasgow Clyde College and what was discussed. There have been recent meetings with the management of Glasgow Clyde College. One of my officials attended a meeting of the board of Clyde College on 19 May 2015 at the invitation of the board's chair to outline the expectations of Scottish ministers in relation to compliance with the code of good governance for Scotland's colleges. Whilst the cabinet secretary hasn't met recently and her officers have, can you possibly, the outline that was mentioned there, was there a discussion that the Government has had with the college management to reassure students and secure nominations for the executive positions? What implications are for the funding of the college if they do not have a students association? Ms McTager raises a very important issue about student representation. A few weeks ago, I launched with the sector guidance and a body of work about how the sector should pull together to support the sustainability of student associations. I am very disappointed to hear that there were no students putting themselves forward for a variety of reasons at the Glasgow Clyde College. That greatly concerns me. There are a number of issues in and around that matter that I am paying very close attention to. I am in regular dialogue with my officials and, indeed, the Scottish Funding Council, because having the involvement of students on board is most certainly not an optional extra. It is part and partial of what we do. To the Scottish Government, what actions is it taking to support and develop the use of Doric and Lallan Scots? The Scottish Government is a strong supporter of Scottish language in all its forms, including Doric and Lallans. In particular, we have appointed a team of Scottish language coordinators to support Scots in schools throughout Scotland. Later this year, we will publish our policy on the Scottish language. We have encouraged and continue to encourage, by means of education Scotland, the study of Scottish texts in schools. We continue to fund key organisations, including traditional arts and culture Scotland, the Scottish Book Trust, Scottish Poetry Library, the National Library of Scotland, Scottish Language Dictionaries and the Scots Language Centre. The Scottish Government also values Scots as a language of everyday communication and, like Creative Scotland, will accept any form of correspondence in Scots. I thank the minister for his response. Given the increasingly successful support and recognition given to Gallic as a native language, are there any plans to similarly support the use of Scots as a mainstream language in education and culture? As I have indicated, the Government and certainly me personally have a very strong commitment in this area. The fact that the SQA has, for instance, developed a Scots language award is testimony to its own dedication in that area, as well as providing an opportunity to learn Scots. The award also touches on Scots history and dialects. Education Scotland's Scots co-ordinators, whom I mentioned, have also developed a series of training sessions for teachers wishing to learn how to teach about the Scots language in schools. There is the potential of study of Scots in many other areas, such as the inclusion within the Scottish studies award and Scottish texts within the national five and higher English exams. Together with the work that we are doing for Scots in the community, I believe that this represents a strong commitment from the Scottish Government. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Fife College regarding the future of lifelong learning. The Scottish Government engages regularly with colleges in Scotland and through the Scottish funding council we support the delivery of high-quality lifelong learning. The cabinet secretary will be aware that last week it was revealed that 4,000 student places are being axed at Fife College. That represents one-third of all part-time places currently available in Fife. What assurances can the cabinet secretary give my constituents in Dumfremont who are looking to get back into part-time study will bring up children who are looking to retrain or reskill in the evening? Will there be lifelong learning opportunities available in the future? What actions will the Scottish Government take to give adult education the investment and the priority that it deserves? The figures that Ms Hilton refers to are based on the college's own planning assumptions. The latest official figures are available for 2013-14. The figures that the college has supplied illustrate an expected increase in full-time equivalent numbers for 2015-16. In terms of provision, part-time provision still exists across the sector. We have asked colleges to deliver, for example, more for women, including an investment of £6.5 million in 2014-15 for part-time places, which are often favoured by women and older learners. Women, of course, have been supported with record levels of student support. The funding council is investing more than £104 million this academic year in bursary childcare and discretionary funds.